If Tomorrow Comes
by Shirl
Summary: COMPLETED Crossover. Seth & Summer meet up with Sam & Laura of 'The Day After Tomorrow' film. I know it's stretching believability but it's a fun ride, with some twists from the movie's plot. PG13 for language and minor violence. THE CRYING GAME
1. Smoke And Mirrors

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any part of the 'The O.C.' or 'The Day After Tomorrow'. All rights belong to the Fox network and 20th Century Fox, respectively.  
  
ARCHIVE: You are welcome to download this story for your own reading but please do not archive it on any website without my permission.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, readers, I know I'm stretching the bounds of believability here but I wanted to write a fun crossover fic and came up with this crazy, silly idea. If you like disaster movies and Seth/Summer, leave your logic at the door and just come along for the ride. I've eliminated certain characters from The Day After Tomorrow film and adjusted some plotlines to suit myself because hey, it's my crossover and I can do that.

* * *

__

_We're going down, baby_

_Crashing, falling  
_  
"Cohen."  
  
_Burning and smokin'  
  
Oh yeah...  
_  
"COHEN!"  
  
Lurching forward in his seat, at least as far as his tightly strapped seatbelt would allow, Seth Cohen glared at the passenger next to him. "I'm sitting right here. You don't have to yell in my ear."  
  
"Well, you were completely zoning out on me," Summer Roberts stated, her tone defensive. "What are you listening to?"  
  
He grabbed the headphones and rested them around his neck, absently rubbing at his right ear where she had nearly deafened him. "It's nothing. Just lame airline music." How could he have forgotten his discman at home? He'd been forced to accept the headphones the flight attendant had handed out, skipping past the news and country music stations to finally settle on what was supposed to be pop/rock music. He'd desperately hoped it would take his mind off how unnatural it was for human beings to fly through the air at 600 miles per hour but as Summer had pointed out, he'd started staring off into space. In fact, the lyrics to whatever he'd been listening to had suddenly started droning on about crashing and burning, bodies falling from the sky.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
He nodded. "Oh yeah. Just fine. Great. Uh huh."  
  
She stared at him. "Stop bobbing your head. You're making me nervous." One raised eyebrow wiggled at him. "I didn't know you were afraid of flying."  
  
"Ha! This isn't fear." But he couldn't seem to stop the bobbing motion, like one of those dolls with the spring in its neck. "It's just...uh...you know." He glanced sideways at her, catching her look. The 'you-can't-fool-me' look. "Okay, I hate flying. Happy now?"  
  
Slumping back in his seat, he started to put the headphones back in place when she stopped him. "It's okay. You don't have to hide it." Curling one arm around his, she smiled up at him. "I think it's kind of cute."  
  
"Oh really? Fear of death is cute?" Girls. He really couldn't understand their logic. Or maybe it was just Summer logic he couldn't wrap his mind around.  
  
"At least if we die, we'll be together."  
  
As he looked down to gauge her expression, one of his own eyebrows shot up. Now she was batting her eyelashes at him. He distinctly got the impression he was being mocked. "Ha ha, very funny".  
  
Pulling away, she gave up the pretence and laughed. "Come on, Cohen, there's nothing to be afraid of. Thousands of people fly everyday and they all land safe and sound."  
  
"All right, you've made your point." He tried not to sound huffy, but wasn't sure if he'd succeeded. If nothing else, their banter was taking his mind off of his nervousness. He supposed he should be grateful for that. At least Summer was here. It still surprised him, even now.  
  
When he had announced he was going to sign up with the school's decathlon team, the last person he had expected to join him was Summer. He had always thought of her as more 'street smart' than academics smart. But in the preliminary tests they'd done before being accepted on the team, her scores had actually surpassed his. He'd been more than a little shocked. Dumfounded, actually, with the sting of some hurt pride, if he was really honest. But he'd gotten over it and was pleased that this was something they could do together. Of course, knowing this year's finals were going to be held in New York was an added bonus. It was a city he'd always wanted to visit but the opportunity had never come up.  
  
"Oh my God, is that smoke from the engine?"  
  
Whipping his head around, Seth followed the length of her outstretched arm, pointing to the wing beyond the tiny window. His eyes widened at the alarming sight of white plumes billowing past one of the engines. "That's definitely smoke. We're going to die." He began to scramble out of his seat and wondered why he wasn't making any progress before realizing the seatbelt was still securely fastened.  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
Funny how she could manage to sound more annoyed than worried. "What do you think? I have to tell someone. I probably should go straight to the captain." Crap, why couldn't he get this stupid thing unbuckled? Seth Cohen. Burned to death in fiery crash because he couldn't escape from his seatbelt.  
  
He heard her sigh. Heavily. "I was kidding. It's not smoke."  
  
"Of course it is! I know smoke when I see it." There, finally. Free at last, he stood up and tried to ignore the tugging on his arm.  
  
"Cohen, I mean it. Sit down. It was just a cloud."  
  
"Yeah, right." But he looked down into her earnest face and paused. "Seriously?"  
  
She pointed out the window again. "See? Blue sky. No cloud, ergo, no smoke."  
  
Bending down to look outside, he could plainly see that all was well. They must have just flown through a cloud and the way it rushed over the wing, it had truly seemed like a smoking engine. With a grunt, he sat back down.  
  
"Got ya, didn't I?"  
  
"You did," he admitted grudgingly, feeling foolish and needing a comeback. "Ergo. Who talks like that?"  
  
She shrugged. "Just practicing my vocabulary."  
  
He almost didn't recognize her until she flashed a sly smile and flipped her hair. Shaking his head, he couldn't help but laugh.

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Put It To The Test

Summer had never felt such a rush of exhilaration. She was on fire at this decathlon and loving every minute of it. If someone had asked her a year ago to be involved with the team, she would have laughed in their face. Like, get real, join an academics club? Only dorks would do something like that. But since she'd fallen for Cohen, she often caught herself doing things completely out of character. Like getting all teary watching romantic movies in scenes that usually would have her laughing. Or, for instance, volunteering to join the school decathlon team.  
  
Frankly, school had always bored her. She never bothered to study and yet her grades were decent, so why put in the extra effort? When Cohen had told her about the decathlon, she'd decided to try out too on a lark. It sometimes bothered her that they didn't have much in common and she'd thought that trying out for the team together was better than playing video games or reading comic books. She hadn't expected to do well on the tests but somehow, it all came easily to her. She'd always known her memory was better than average but it had never been put to the test before. Not like this, anyway, with the often obscure facts and figures they needed to answer on the spot.  
  
With bated breath, she waited for the next question.  
  
"This is a two part question so please listen carefully. Answers to both parts must be correct. What fort, built by the Portuguese in the late sixteenth century, is a national museum in Kenya? And, in what year was it declared to be a national museum by the British? You have ten seconds."  
  
As her teammates mumbled amongst themselves, she glanced at Cohen. He grimaced and shrugged at her. She felt a nudge at her elbow and looked to her left. "Wasn't it Fort Jesus?" Charles Hamilton whispered, pushing at the glasses on the bridge of his nose, even though they were firmly in place. He repeated the same movement for almost every question. A nervous habit.  
  
She nodded, suddenly excited. "That's right! And the year was 1958." She had no idea how she remembered these facts. She just did.  
  
But Charles was shaking his head. "I don't think it was that late. It happened in the forties."  
  
She was sure she was right. "I don't think so."  
  
"Five seconds," droned the adjudicator.  
  
Charles scribbled hurriedly on the answer sheet and before she could stop him, he submitted it. "What did you write down?" she hissed at him.  
  
"And time's up. The correct answer is Fort Jesus. Year was 1958."  
  
Cheering from a lone table nearby distracted her but it was soon obvious that their own team had lost out on this one. Charles shrank back from her killer look. "Sorry," he mumbled, poking at his glasses again. "I thought it was 1948."  
  
Before she could stop herself, she smacked him on the back of the head. Not very hard, mind you, but just hard enough that he would remember. Glancing over again at the only team that had correctly answered the question, she noticed one boy turned in his seat, looking directly at her. He was cute – dark blue eyes crinkled at the corners and laughing softly. She guessed he must have witnessed her move on poor Charles. The moment only lasted a couple of seconds before he turned around, his back to her once more.  
  
Charles was rubbing his head and glaring at her. "Are you insane? You just hit me."  
  
"Oh, don't be a baby," she snapped. "I barely touched you."  
  
Charles pleaded his case to Seth. "Is she always like this? Why don't you keep your girlfriend under control?"  
  
Seth leaned forward and looked down the table to give his teammate a bit of advice. "I don't mess with the wrath of Summer," he stated simply.  
  
Pleased with Cohen's reply, she eagerly waited for the next question.

* * *

A/N: Some of you might scoff at Summer's braininess in this fic but her character has taken some surprising turns during the show, so I hope it wasn't too out of line here. Besides, it's great fun to write her that way! Sorry this chapter was so short but the next one will be longer, I promise.


	3. Party On

With drink in hand and pretending to be cool, Sam Hall examined the large painting on the wall. It was something modern, with lots of swirling colours and dots of scattered paint. He glanced at the title engraved on the small metal plate underneath it – The Meaning Of Life. Crinkling his nose, he stepped back to give the painted canvas a second look. Nope, he didn't get it.  
  
"Do you like it?" asked a feminine voice behind him.  
  
He turned to find the petite, dark-haired girl who had caught his eye yesterday morning. The one who had been smacking the hell out of her teammate. "Not really. Do you?"  
  
Pursing her lips, she eyed the art carefully, taking her time in forming an opinion. "No, it's crap," she finally stated. He laughed as she extended her hand towards him. "I'm Summer Roberts."  
  
He shook the offered hand. "Sam Hall."  
  
"Your team did really well. You came in, what, third?"  
  
"Fourth," he corrected. "How about you?"  
  
"Sixth."  
  
He could see she wasn't too pleased with that outcome although, considering how many teams had been competing, it was actually quite good. His suspicion was confirmed when she continued on. "I know we could have done better. A lot of my answers got overruled by people who thought they knew better. But what the hell, I proved I could do it anyway. I can't even believe I'm doing this. I'm not really the brainy type. My boyfriend is, but I've never cared less about school." She paused to gulp her drink. "Am I talking too much? I am, aren't I. Anyway, I just wish we'd done a little better, that's all."  
  
He wasn't one to talk at length with strangers, but he was enjoying her company. Of course, he reasoned, she was doing ninety percent of the talking. "Maybe you should have smacked some sense into the other people on your team too," he joked.  
  
She laughed, looking slightly embarrassed. "So you did see that. Well, Chucky deserved it. I'll bet you got that question right, though."  
  
"Yeah," he admitted. The answer had come to him in the last two seconds, just barely giving Laura enough time to write it down. Scanning the room now, he wondered what was taking her so long. He hated going to receptions like this. Mingling with people he didn't know and trying to make small talk. This girl Summer wasn't so bad but still, he wished Laura would get here already.  
  
Then, suddenly, he saw her coming towards them. His eyes widened and though he wasn't conscious of it, his jaw dropped just enough for his lips to part in wonder. She looked stunning. Usually, she wore her hair in a simple ponytail at school. This was the first time he could remember seeing it long and flowing like this. And the dress was...well, it just made her look so...um, grown up.  
  
"Hi Sam."  
  
Man, she was just glowing. He continued to be mesmerized for a prolonged moment and then realized the two girls were staring at him with expectation, waiting for an introduction. Trying to recover gracefully, he quickly said, "Laura, this is Summer. Summer, this is one of my teammates, Laura Chapman."  
  
"Nice to meet you," Laura said brightly, her eyes darting around the room with excitement. "Isn't this place amazing? I can't imagine going to school in such a wonderful building."  
  
"I've seen better," Summer stated, with obvious disdain.  
  
"Well, I think it's beautiful. Sam, would you dance with me?"  
  
He gulped and ducked his head. "Oh no, I don't think so." His heart leapt at the thought of holding her close but his brain rang warning bells about his two left feet.  
  
"Why not? It will be..."  
  
Her sentence was cut short as someone bumped into her. The next sound emitted from her lips was a gasp of dismay as a cold drink sloshed onto her satiny dress.  
  
"Oh, God, I'm so sorry." The apology came from a lanky, curly haired boy who looked completely mortified.  
  
"Cohen, you doorknob!" Summer exclaimed. Setting her glass on a nearby table, both girls tried to inspect the damage.  
  
"It wasn't my fault! Someone bumped into me first." He turned pleading eyes towards Sam, gesturing towards him with one hand. "You saw it, didn't you?"  
  
Actually, he hadn't, since he'd been too busy inspecting the floor after Laura's dance request. But he didn't mind helping the guy out. "Yeah, it wasn't his fault," he piped up.  
  
But their exchange had mostly fallen on deaf ears and Summer grabbed Laura's hand. "Come on, there's a washroom down this way. I don't think it will stain."  
  
Sam could only watch as Laura was whisked away. He eventually turned his attention back to the newcomer. "So, you know Summer?"  
  
"Yeah, she's my girlfriend."  
  
Sam wasn't sure, but he thought he'd heard an extra emphasis on 'girlfriend'. He searched for something more to say. "She seems nice."  
  
"Nice." The word was repeated and briefly pondered over. "No, not really. But that's part of her charm. I'm Seth, by the way."  
  
They shook hands and after introductions were out of the way, lapsed into an awkward silence. In bits and spurts they talked a little of where they were from, what they'd thought of the decathlon, the unending downpour of rain that seemed to have engulfed Manhattan. But mainly, they waited for the two girls to return.  
  
Sam held back a sigh of relief when he spotted them making their way through the crowd. Summer was practically marching and even though he'd just met her, he could see a troublesome gleam in her eye. "Guys, I have a great idea," she announced. "Let's blow this joint and head to Greenwich Village."  
  
Seth responded with the exact thoughts Sam was having. "We're not supposed to go around on our own. Just back to the hotel."  
  
"Who's gonna know? They won't actually check up on us. And get this, Laura and I both have this weird craving for peanut butter. I know just the place to get some."  
  
"I don't know." Sam spoke softly, torn between being the obedient kid and wanting to rebel at the same time.  
  
Summer breezily changed her tactic, placing an arm around Laura's waist. "Fine, stay here and wallow in the retro music. We'll go on our own."  
  
Sam wondered how Laura felt about breaking the rules. She hadn't contributed anything to this conversation. As he glanced over at her, he was puzzled by her intense stare. She wasn't smiling, but was regarding him with a serious, perturbed gaze. "What?"  
  
She blinked her large, doe-like eyes. "Nothing."  
  
"You want to do this?"  
  
As if snapping out of a trance, she finally smiled at him. "Yeah, I do. Come on, Sam, let's do something fun for once."  
  
He felt himself caving in and wondered what his father would think. Damn, who the hell cared what he would think? "Okay, let's go."  
  
Leaving the crowded room behind, Sam breathed easier in the open hallway. Grabbing their coats, they headed down the marble staircase, Summer and Seth leading the way. He could hear their voices echoing off the walls but couldn't make out what they were saying. However, he saw Summer waving her arms around and it sounded like an animated discussion, if not an argument. "Does she know where she's going?" he had to ask, as Laura bounded down the steps next to him.  
  
"Yeah, she's been to New York before with her father."  
  
Something brushed against his hand, and then he felt it being clasped by her slender fingers. Startled, he turned his head but she was looking downwards, concentrating on the stairs beneath her feet. He decided to do the same, before he tripped his way down. Enjoying the warmth transmitted by the contact, he reasoned that she simply wanted a steady hand to guide her down safely. But after coming to the ground floor and the exit doors, she didn't pull away. And he didn't let go.

* * *

A/N: Thanks to everyone for the reviews. Glad you've been enjoying it so far. And to SparkingDiamond - you were right about the blue-eyed boy. However, he's _my_ baby, so hands off! ;-)


	4. The News

One lonely backpack, packed and ready to go.

Seth stared at the only bag that was sitting by the hotel room door. It belonged to him and by now, it should have been joined by Summer's two suitcases. Correction, one large suitcase and one largish carry-on bag, as Summer had defensively pointed out to him.

He glanced at his watch yet again. "We're going to be late," he called out to her.

"Five minutes!" came the yell from the bathroom.

With a roll of his eyes, he grabbed the remote and clicked on the television. At first, he thought he'd caught the middle of some movie. A rather cool looking disaster movie, with the Hollywood sign being torn to shreds by a massive tornado. But with a rising sense of horror, he realized this was actually on the news.

"_Summer!_" he bellowed.

In the back corner of his mind, he heard a metallic sounding crash in the bathroom and an unladylike curse. His eyes remained glued to the flickering images as she came behind him. "What is your problem?" she exclaimed. "We've got plenty of..."

He pointed to the TV, interrupting her. "Look. Just look!"

Now the screen had cut to a helicopter shot over Los Angeles, the skies massively black and swirling with debris. The next image caused his jaw to drop in utter disbelief.

"What is this? Are we watching the news?"

Summer's hushed voice was close to his ear. He hadn't even noticed when she'd sat down beside him on the edge of the bed.

"Uh huh," he affirmed.

"Holy shit, is that a tornado?"

"No, that would be four tornados."

In silence, they watched the scenes unfold, seemingly rooted to the spot. He felt Summer's fingers reach for his and he held her hand, feeling vaguely nauseous. Minutes ticked by before the alarming thought entered his head. "We should call home."

Their eyes connected with mutual mirrors of fear and they both dove for their cell phones.

He tried his home number several times but couldn't get through. Network busy, please try again. He looked up as she approached him with her phone in hand. "Any luck?"

She shook her head, then gave him a hopeful look. "Maybe a land line would be better."

"Right," he agreed, reaching over to the phone on the bedside table.

But that didn't work either. All he got was a rapid beeping sound, as if the phone was out of service. He gnawed on his lower lip for a moment. "Let's go down to the lobby," he suggested.

Almost unnaturally quiet, Summer simply nodded and slung her purse over her shoulder.

-------------------------

The lobby was absolute chaos. Summer wasn't sure who was yelling louder – the guests or the hotel staff. Everyone looked upset – afraid, even – and she was slightly confused. Yes, the multiple scenes of destruction in L.A. had been awful but surely this entire crowd of people couldn't be this upset over it. Did they all have relatives in California?

She had become separated from Seth for a minute, but he was back at her side and took her elbow. "Come here, you have to see this. Weird things are happening all over."

He led her to the adjoining bar, where people were huddled around several television sets. Surreal sights flashed before her eyes. Snow in India. The largest hail she'd ever seen in her life in Japan. A massive hurricane in Hawaii. And, of course, four tornados ripping through the core of L.A.

It was hard to take in all at once. "But this must be some coincidence, right?" she had to ask. "You think this is all related?"

"I don't know. It seems bizarre either way. And it gets worse. Someone just told me that all flights are grounded. We're not going anywhere today."

All she could do was nod in understanding, her gaze drawn back to the television as if pulled by a magnet. Finally, she'd decided she'd had enough. As she turned away, she saw a familiar figure watching a different screen at the other end of the bar. It was Laura. She had one hand over her mouth and looked visibly distraught.

Summer had initially taken a dislike to Laura. The girl was tall and willowy, with legs that stretched into infinity, not to mention drop-dead gorgeous. Who needed that kind of competition around? But when klutz-boy had spilled his drink on her, she'd acted on impulse, leading her away to deal with the wet spot. In the washroom, Laura had been sweet and thankful, and Summer had no choice but to grudgingly admit that the girl was Nice. Nice with a capital 'N'. And she supposed it also helped that they shared an unnatural love of peanut butter. Their successful getaway from the school rules and regulations had been a fun night.

She approached Laura now and touched her arm lightly. "Hey," she greeted.

Laura sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "Summer, hi. Hi, Seth."

Although she'd more than had her fill of scenes of destruction, Summer had to look at what had upset her new friend so much. On the screen now was an image of a jumbo jet crash. Laura spoke in a small, sad voice. "No one survived. Those poor, poor people."

It suddenly dawned on Summer why she'd taken a liking to Laura. She reminded her of Marissa. Her long-time best friend had always been a softie too. Thinking of Coop made her worry about what was happening in Newport. Did the tornados die out or move elsewhere, wreaking havoc along their destructive paths through other cities?

"Laura, you won't believe...oh, hey, guys."

Summer glanced up to find Sam by their side, his cheeks a little red and brows furrowed together. He looked both anxious and angry. Wondering what was wrong, she soon got an answer as Sam relayed the argument he'd had at the front desk. He had checked out of the hotel earlier this morning before knowing that all flights in the U.S. had been cancelled. When he'd tried to get the room back, he'd been informed that someone else had already taken it.

He continued on, gesturing towards the lobby. "It's totally insane back there. People keep coming in from the street, wanting to get a room. And I've never seen this much rain. I've heard people talking about some places that are starting to get flooded." He looked back to Laura again. "So, bottom line is, we don't have anywhere to stay tonight. I've tried calling a couple of hotels but they're all booked up, like everyone else. I guess we could just go to the airport..."

"Well, we haven't checked out yet," Seth spoke up. He caught Summer's eye and she nodded. She knew exactly what he was thinking. "Why don't you stay with us?"

"Are...are you sure?" Sam asked.

"Positive," Summer stated firmly. "You're not going to sleep at the airport."

"That's so kind of you both," Laura gushed. "We're so lucky to have met you."

Seth suggested that they'd better extend their stay with the hotel right now. Summer agreed and they headed back to the lobby area. At first, she'd thought the clerk might give them a hard time but it turned out to be fine.

Summer waited by the front desk as Seth went back to the bar to get their roommates. Plucking out her cell phone from her purse, she tried dialling home again. The network was still busy. Frustrated, she snapped the phone shut with one hand. Perhaps there would be something on the news about which way the tornados had went. One thing was for sure. When they went back to their room, she planned to switch the television to CNN. It completely annoyed her that every TV in the bar had been tuned to Fox. CNN was much better.

* * *

A/N: I know, you're wondering when the action is going to start already. Well, the title of the next chapter is called "The Wave". Is that a good hint? ;-) But it's going to be a long chapter, so the next update won't be as quick as the first few. I do promise that it will be worth the wait!


	5. The Wave

Television had become their constant companion. Laura had never watched this much TV before but they didn't want to miss one bit of news. Such strange weather, all around the world. What could it possibly mean? She wanted to ask Sam's opinion, thinking he might have a clue as to what was happening since his father was a climatologist. But he was so touchy about his father sometimes; she hadn't brought up the subject yet.

None of them had slept much last night. It had become a slumber party, of sorts. Sam and Seth had gone out at one point to get pizza, returning to the room soaking wet. The pizza had been slightly soggy but still tasty.

Whenever Sam's attention was focused on something, her gaze was drawn to him. She would study his profile thoughtfully and quickly glance away if he started to look in her direction. That night of the reception, when Summer had helped her with her dress in the restroom, conversation had somehow steered towards Sam. When Summer had incorrectly assumed that he was her boyfriend, she'd stated that they were just friends. With a wise smile, Summer had told her that it was obvious that Sam 'had the hots' for her. Just thinking of it now made her blush. Could it be true? Ever since he'd joined the decathlon team he'd become a good friend but she'd never looked beyond that. He was, she admitted to herself, awfully cute. Funny how she'd never quite noticed it before.

It was morning now and she had to suppress a laugh, as Summer and Seth bickered over something. They made an interesting couple, seeming to argue an awful lot but making each other laugh too. Seth reminded her a little of Sam. Shy and sweet in an endearing way. They even shared the same sarcastic edge to their humour. Summer was...unique. Brash and outspoken with a biting wit, she wasn't the type of person that Laura usually befriended. But she sometimes caught a glimpse of an underlying kindness and sensed that Summer was a good person underneath the prickles.

Sitting next to Sam, they continued to watch the news. Manhattan was the focus now and this particular scene was filled with gushing water. A policeman was guiding people to safety as they fled the flooded subway line. The torrential downpour continued and she even heard the rumble of thunder in the distance.

The phone on the nearby table rang and Sam picked it up. Laura flipped to another station, trying to find some word on whether flights were still grounded. And of course, the answer was yes. Here were some live shots from JFK airport, overflowing with people as they slept on the ground and on their suitcases. Everything was a mess.

"Well, that was the front desk," Sam informed her.

"Uh huh?"

"They're kicking us out."

That got her attention, as she swung around to look at him. "What? What do you mean?"

"The underground parking garages are flooded and some of the rooms on the top floor are leaking. They don't think it's safe so they're closing down the hotel."

"So what do we do now?" she fretted. "Go to the airport?"

He looked about as pleased as she felt. "I think so."

They quickly informed Seth and Summer about what was happening and it took some convincing to get Summer to agree.

"Have you _looked_ outside? Do I have fins? I hate getting wet," she'd complained bitterly.

But in the end, with much grumbling, she'd started packing up. It took almost half an hour before everyone was set and ready to go. As Summer hooked the carry-on bag over the handle of her suitcase, Laura looked out the window one last time. The storm seemed to be intensifying, the skies dark grey and gloomy. Rain pelted against the glass with a loud and rapid rhythm, carried along by the fierce gusts of wind. For a moment, her view was lit in brilliant white light as lightning split the sky, immediately followed by a crash of thunder.

"Laura, let's go," Sam called out to her.

She grabbed her backpack and followed him out the door. As they all headed towards the elevator, she thought about the lightning she'd witnessed.

"Maybe we should take the stairs," she suggested. "This storm is pretty bad."

"We're on the tenth floor," Seth pointed out. But his finger hovered over the down button.

As if on cue, the building seemed to shake with the force of the loudest thunder yet. Lights in the hallway flickered bravely, then went out completely. Laura held her breath as they were enveloped in eerie darkness but in three seconds the emergency lights cut in. It was dim but enough to see by.

"Guess it's the stairs," Sam stated dryly. "I think we passed by them." He turned back down the hall, followed by the others. Sure enough, he found the stairwell and held the door open. Seth had one foot through the doorway when Summer called his name.

"Can you..." she continued on, but Seth cut her sentence short.

"Don't even think it. Ten flights, are you kidding me? I don't know why you've got that huge thing when we're only here for the weekend."

"Please?" she wheedled, with a beguiling smile that surely must have tempted him.

But he remained strong. "Nope." And with that, he disappeared through the door.

"Son of a bitch," she muttered under her breath. "Who needs you anyway."

Although Laura had also marvelled at the size of the suitcase, she couldn't just leave the girl to struggle on her own. "I'll help you. Maybe if you just take this bag."

She started to reach for the strap when Sam intervened. "Here, Summer, you take the carry-on. I'll get the suitcase."

Summer beamed at him. "Really? You're the best, Sam. Thanks." Hoisting the bag over one shoulder, she headed down the stairs.

Laura watched, amused, as Sam lifted the case with a grunt. "Geez, what does she have in here, bricks?" he huffed. But he still managed to hold the door open for her.

That was her Sam, she thought fondly. Always the gentleman.

-------------------------

By the time Sam reached the ground floor, both of his arms were aching. All the way down, he'd kept transferring the suitcase from one hand to the other. With a sigh of relief, he handed the burden back to its owner. He was rewarded by a kiss on the cheek from a grateful Summer. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Seth watching them, his eyes rolling in exasperation.

Once out on the sidewalk, they all paused to take in their surroundings. Water was everywhere – falling in the rain, overflowing from the street and splashing everything in sight. Cars were in complete gridlock going nowhere fast, and the air was filled with nothing but the sound of the rain and honking horns.

"Are you sure the subways are closed?" Summer asked again.

He nodded. "Yeah, we have to walk. At least for a little while. Maybe once we get out further the traffic will clear up a bit and we can grab a taxi."

Knowing it was useless, he turned up the collar of his jacket anyway before they stepped out from the sheltered entrance of the hotel. Although it was Summer who knew the way around Manhattan, he'd gotten a general sense of directions from the front desk. He found himself leading the way, occasionally stopping to make sure everyone was still following along.

Dodging fellow pedestrians and fighting the wind made the journey tiring and slow. Laura was doing a good job of keeping up but Summer was starting to lag behind. Sam once saw Seth trying to finally help with Summer's suitcase but she slapped his hand away, ignoring his attempt to apologize.

They trudged on, wet and miserable. After what seemed an eternity, but was in reality just a few blocks, he stopped to catch his breath. That's when he realized that the water was rising. He hadn't noticed until now. It swirled just at his ankles.

Laura was soon at his side. "I've never seen so much water," she complained. "My feet are soaked."

"I know." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, not sure why he was feeling uneasy. Before he could expand on that thought, he heard Seth and Summer arguing again as they came within earshot.

"I'm fine. Just forget it," he heard Summer say.

"What's going on?" he had to ask, wondering if he'd regret getting into the middle of things.

Seth spoke first, clearly agitated. "I told her she's going to wear herself out, dragging that thing along. She should just dump it."

He didn't have to reference the suitcase directly for Sam to know what he was talking about. Twin spots of colour stained Summer's cheeks and he was sure that sweat intermingled with raindrops on her damp forehead.

"And I told him he's crazy if he thinks I'm going to just toss it away," Summer retorted. "Can't we try another hotel or something? Or just wait it out?"

"Maybe she's right," Laura said with a glance around, as if trying to spot someplace suitable.

"I wouldn't say no to that," Seth chimed in.

All three pairs of eyes settled on Sam and he felt himself caving in. So far, this trek through the storm was sucking badly and he wished nothing more than to sit down and dry off for a little while. What could it hurt? Just as he was about to agree, some inner voice made him look down.

The water was getting higher.

He blinked, lifted one foot and sloshed it back down. It couldn't be. "How long have we been standing here?" He looked up anxiously but they stared at him with blank faces. "Two minutes? Less than that? The water's rising."

"Well, the sewers obviously can't take this so yeah, it's going to flood a bit," Seth reasoned.

"This is more than a bit. In the time we've been talking here, the water's gone up at least an inch. Maybe closer to two. Do you know how fast that is?"

Nobody ventured to do the math but he could see the concern starting to creep into their expressions. You didn't have to be a decathlon winner to realize that was pretty damned fast. "Summer. Drop the suitcase. We have to get to higher ground now."

For once, she didn't argue.

-------------------------

This was bad. This was very, very bad.

Summer had to will herself to keep moving with every step. She was beyond wet now and was chilled to the bone. When had the water risen to just above her waist?

She'd lost count of how many times she'd refused Cohen's hand. He'd given up now and was walking beside Sam up ahead while she moved along with Laura. She could see the boys talking but neither she nor Laura wasted any energy in speaking. She'd always been envious of women with long legs and that was never more true than today. The waterline was several inches lower on Laura's torso, making it slightly easier for her to walk. She also guessed that Laura was in better shape physically, since she didn't even seem out of breath. Summer, on the other hand, had always loathed exercise so while she had a naturally slim body, she was not the least bit athletic.

Her other difficulty was the carry-on bag. It only had a single strap, so she had it slung diagonally across her body. It was getting cumbersome and felt heavier by the minute. It would have been less awkward, had it been a backpack like Laura's. Another reason to be envious. She thought of tossing it aside but stupid pride wouldn't allow it.

It seemed so surreal, practically wading through the middle of the street. Cars had been abandoned and their path was like an obstacle course. People were scrambling in every direction, not knowing which way to turn.

She suddenly realized that Laura wasn't beside her.

Turning around, she tried to ignore the jostling as people bumped into her. Water continually splashed in her eyes and she rubbed at them futilely, blinking rapidly. There she was, standing beside a taxi and a police officer.

Summer made her way over. "What are you doing? We should keep moving." Funny, she thought she'd head Laura speaking in a foreign language.

"You keep going, Summer. I just need to help her."

"But..." Summer's protest trailed off as she noticed the woman and child in the taxi, speaking rapidly in another tongue and obviously upset. The police officer kept tugging and then pushing at the door. It was jammed shut or simply unable to open against the water pressure.

Laura spoke in urgent but soothing tones and to Summer's ear, what sounded like fluent French. Then she heard the crashing of glass, as the officer broke the side window. He reached inside with both arms, yelling for the woman to grab onto him.

Summer kept one eye on the unfolding rescue and also looked ahead, worried that Sam and Cohen had moved too far ahead and left them behind. She couldn't see them anymore. Starting to grow anxious, she turned her attention back to the cab, relieved to see the mother and daughter being pulled out. But once the older woman was on her feet, she spoke again to Laura in frantic tones, gesturing inside the confines of the car. Laura nodded in understanding and began to shrug free of her backpack.

Summer couldn't believe her eyes. "Laura, what are you doing? We need to go. The water's getting higher."

But Laura ignored her and leaned through what used to be the window, hollering back some words. Summer heard something about a passport and purse. "Just forget it," she pleaded, tugging at the arm that Laura had braced against the door.

"Summer!" shouted a voice, just above her ear. Startled, she turned her head to see Cohen, having magically appeared at her side.

"Where have you been?" she demanded. "I..."

He clamped onto her arms, shaking her. "_Listen to me._ Drop the bag and take my hand. We have to run. Now."

She stared into his eyes, a little frightened by the intensity that shone from them. "Why? W-what's going on?" she stammered.

"Summer, if you've ever trusted me in your life, just do it now or we're both dead," he implored.

Without hesitating any further, she yanked the strap over her head and let go of the bag, instantly grateful to be rid of the burden. She didn't waste time arguing when she saw how serious he was. Serious and afraid.

Looking over her shoulder, she saw Sam appear out of nowhere, yelling to get Laura's attention. Something caught her eye further in the distance and that's when she saw it.

Her mouth parted in disbelief. The only way to describe it was a massive wall of water, so high that it obscured everything else. It was coming fast and coming at them.

Summer grabbed Cohen's outstretched hand and they started to run.

-------------------------

Seth tried to ignore the chaos around him, focusing on the act of leading himself and Summer to safety. Most people were screaming and running, desperate to escape the wave that would soon be destroying everything in sight. But a surprising number of others were standing as if in a daze, looks of confusion on their faces. They still weren't aware of what was happening.

He looked ahead to gauge how close they were. Almost there. He was heading towards the steps leading to the library. Only minutes before, he and Sam had been standing there, looking back on the crowd to find the two girls they'd inadvertently left behind.

While trudging through the streets, they'd knocked in vain on several doors of hotels and businesses, hoping to be let in. Sam had wanted to get as high as possible and the upper floors of these buildings had seemed like a good idea. But every door had been shut and locked, their pleas for help either unheard or ignored. Then Sam had spotted the library set high above street level and figured that might be the best place. As a public building, they'd hoped it would still be accessible.

They had been so busy talking, trying to figure out what was best, neither one had noticed that Laura and Summer were no longer right behind them. Only when they'd stood on the steps and looked back did they see the tidal wave rushing down the street. For a moment, they'd each been frozen in horror but they'd quickly snapped out of it.

Seth had spotted them first. "There they are!" he'd pointed.

"I'll get Laura. You get Summer," Sam had called out, as they'd dashed down the stairs.

And now, here they were, fleeing for their lives.

Seth pulled Summer along, praying they wouldn't stumble. He almost expected the wave to overtake them at any moment and was grateful for every second they had. Just a few more feet and they would be at the stairs.

Seth grunted as a man banged into him with such force, he lost his grip on Summer's hand. He tried to turn around but the panicked mass of bodies around him carried him in its own wave, away from Summer. A yelp of pain escaped his lips as his left thigh was slammed against the side of a car. He had no choice but to roll across the hood unless he wanted a pair of broken legs.

"Summer!" he yelled frantically. Damnit, he couldn't see her. But he could see the rushing wall of water that seemed to soar into the sky, swallowing buses, cars, and people. The rumbling in the distance sounded vaguely like thunder and it was getting louder. If he had to guess, they had less than a minute left.

At last, he spotted her and leaned across the hood as far as he could, stretching out his arm. "Grab my hand. Come on, hurry, you can do it!"

Gasping for breath, she clutched at his fingers and he pulled, trying to help her slide over the obstacle. She was halfway across when her footing slipped and she sank deeper into the water.

Her face screwed up with pain. "Ow, my foot. It's...it's stuck!"

Seth immediately dived down into the water, his hands reaching for her foot. It was tightly wedged between the bumpers of two cars. No amount of tugging would set it free so he tried to unbuckle the shoe. His fingers were numb and shaking and his heart was sinking fast. He couldn't do it. Shit, shit, shit. They were going to die.

There! He'd done it! Her foot came free and he popped back to the surface, gulping in the air with ragged gasps. Taking her hand once more, they started racing up the steps two at a time. Never had a flight of stairs looked so long or intimidating. The roar of water was frightening. Deafening. He wanted to risk looking back over his shoulder but instinct kept him hurtling forward, driven by the will to survive.

Finally, unbelievingly, they made it to the doors and pushed their way inside. On dry ground at last, their pace unconsciously slowed as they crossed the lobby.

"Seth! Summer! Keep running!"

That was Sam's voice, calling out to them from the top landing of another set of steps further ahead. He was waving at them wildly. "It's still coming behind you!"

Putting forth another burst of energy, they sprinted for the stairs.

Seth couldn't help it. He had to look. Then he was sorry he did. Game over.

The water engulfed him whole and he was rolling, out of control, smashing into a wall at one point while he was helplessly carried along. The force of the wave hitting his back had knocked the wind out of him and he was soon desperate for air. His lungs burned with the need but he didn't even know which way was up. Against his will, his mouth parted and he took in water, choking, which only made him convulsively swallow more liquid. Then he found himself flying through the air, as if the water had grown tired of playing with him and had decided to spit him out. Landing hard on the floor, he tumbled over and over again until finally, he came to a full stop. It took a while before he found the strength to move, but not before all the water he'd swallowed came gushing back out of him.

Groaning, wiping at his lips, he slowly sat up. His body felt like one massive bruise and his head was spinning so badly, he was sure he'd throw up. Somehow, he managed to hold it together. Funny how the possibility of drowning had never even entered his mind in all the times he'd gone sailing. But his first trip to New York and he almost drowned in the middle of Manhattan. In a library, no less. If he wasn't in such a pained, exhausted state, he would have burst out in hysterical laughter.

A slow glance around told him that he was alone in this hallway. He had to find Summer.

Swaying a little, he got to his feet and braced himself against the wall for a moment, waiting for the dizziness to pass. Once he'd regained his balance, he walked a few steps to test out his legs. He was a little shaky but fine.

Calling her name, he didn't have to go far before he saw her down an adjoining hallway, crumpled in a heap on the floor. He continued to chant her name as he knelt down, cradling her head in his hands. Sweeping away the dark, wet strands of hair from her white, bluish-tinged face, he regarded her closely. She wasn't breathing. Fighting down the swell of panic, he gently placed her head back down and tilted her chin up, trying to remember everything from CPR class.

But before he could do anything she regained consciousness, coughing and choking. He quickly turned her onto her side, rubbing her back as she emptied the water from her lungs.

"That a girl," he soothed, as relief washed over him. "Get it all out."

Even after she'd spit out all the water, she remained prone on the floor, obviously worn out from the ordeal. He continued the slow, circling motion on her back until she struggled to get up. As he helped to support her weight, she wrapped her arms around him. Sliding back a few inches, he sat against the wall with legs sprawled outwards and Summer's head on his chest.

She didn't speak, but continued to keep her head down. He could feel her shaking and was worried about hypothermia. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

She muttered something inaudible. "What?" he had to ask.

"You didn't leave me."

She finally looked up so he could see her face. "Back there. You didn't leave me."

He was glad to see the pinkness returning to her cheeks. "Of course I didn't." Her tremors were abating too and though he was feeling chilled, he remained where he was, content to have her in his arms.

"I'm sorry, Cohen. For being so stubborn and stupid."

"You're not stupid. You're on the decathlon team, right?"

"Don't joke right now." She sounded annoyed. "I'm trying to apologize here. How often does that happen?"

"You're right. I should treasure the moment."

"There you go again, you jerk."

He pretended to be offended. "Hey, this jerk saved your life. Do you know how hard it is to be the hero?" Frankly, he'd never thought he could be capable of something like that. Good thing he'd had no time but to simply react.

"I know. Thank you." Her tone softening, she cupped his face with one hand and he obliged by dipping his head down. Their kiss was brief and sweet. He didn't allow himself to think about how close he'd come to losing her.

With some reluctance, he finally stood up, bending down to help her up. Only then did he notice her feet were completely bare. Her other shoe had somehow been lost too.

"Guess we better find something for your feet. And our friends too."

* * *

A/N: Whew, I actually got this chapter done faster than I expected. Thanks for the great reviews thus far and I hope you keep enjoying it. There's more to come!


	6. Phone Home

Laura smiled back at the grateful woman. She'd just returned the purse that she had managed to rescue from the taxi. "Soin de prise de votre petite fille." The cute little girl waved at her and Laura waved back. "Bye bye."

As she walked away, she had to watch her step, not wanting to trample on any fingers or toes. The main reading room on the upper level of the library had been transformed into a makeshift shelter. People sat on benches or lay down on the floor, some in small groups, others preferring to be alone. Whether they chose to be by themselves or had lost friends or family in the tidal wave, she didn't know. She thought once again of how lucky she was to be alive. If Sam hadn't come for her, she would have been swept away like so many others. It was even more miraculous that Seth and Summer had survived.

When she and Sam had made it to the lobby of the library, she'd thought they were safe. But he had urged her forward, saying they should get higher. They'd followed the crowd, running up more steps but he'd stopped at one point, saying he was going to wait for Seth and Summer to catch up. She'd been surprised, thinking that she had seen them get a head start. Sam had refused to let her stay with him, pushing her towards the next flight of stairs.

And so she'd had no choice but to wait at the top landing, looking down anxiously. When Sam had come into view a minute later, taking the last few steps slowly, she'd instantly read his expression. Their friends hadn't made it. Shocked, horrified, she'd broken down into tears and they'd stood there for a while, holding each other.

Nearly twenty minutes later, Seth and Summer had appeared at the entrance of the room – pale, dishevelled, and a wondrous sight.

Laura approached Summer now, who was resting in a corner of the room that they'd staked out for themselves. "How's the ankle?" she asked, sitting down on the floor beside her.

"Okay. It's just bruised." Summer lifted her leg and rotated her foot, now dressed in Seth's grey socks. "See? Not broken."

"Good." As Laura shifted to find a more comfortable position, she winced, feeling the sting on her calf. She must have scratched it against something.

"Are you okay? I thought I saw you limping a bit."

"I'm fine. It's nothing," she said dismissively. "Where are the boys?"

"They're trying to find Sam's backpack."

"Ah." Laura understood. After spotting her and Summer from the base of the steps outside, the boys had passed their bags to a couple of guys who'd also been making a run for the library. Seth's bag had been returned, so Summer had put on one of his shirts, grateful to be at least half dry. She'd refused his only pair of extra jeans, however, insisting that Seth change into them himself.

They fell silent for a minute, each lost in their own thoughts.

Summer broke the lull. "So how long have you known Sam?"

"Oh, um, about a year."

"Do you like him?"

"Yes, of course I do."

"No, I mean, do you _like_ him?"

Although the question flustered her, Laura searched her feelings. Sam was smart, sweet, and kind. A little stubborn and sometimes a little lazy. But he had a big heart and that was important to her. Only recently had she noticed that his eyes were a lovely shade of deep blue and that he had an infectious laugh. It was a revelation to her but yes, she liked him very much.

"I think I do," she finally responded.

"Good. Because he definitely likes you. You guys would be great together."

It was time to change the subject. "What about you and Seth? Have you been together long?"

Now it was Summer's turn to look uncomfortable. But she answered the question. "No, not long."

"What brought the two of you together?" Laura was genuinely curious, since they often seemed like a mismatched couple.

Summer hesitated, contemplating the question. "I have no idea. He says he's always liked me but I don't know why." She sighed, as if her words weren't coming out the way they should. "I mean, I know _why. _I've always been popular and everything but I can be pretty bitchy. In case you haven't noticed," she added wryly.

"But there must be something about him too," Laura prodded.

Summer nodded and she spoke more slowly this time. "Yeah. He makes me feel safe. And beautiful. Beautiful on the inside. He's the first boy that's liked me for who I really am. He sees the real me." She paused. "But I still want to strangle him sometimes."

Laura had to laugh at that. Maybe they were a normal couple after all.

-------------------------

Sam's eyes followed Laura across the room, watching as she returned the lady's purse. That girl was just too soft for her own good sometimes. She always thought of herself last.

"You really like her, huh."

Sam noticed that Seth's inflection was a statement, not a question. His first reaction was to deny it but then he gave in, too tired to do otherwise.

"Yeah. That obvious?"

"Kind of. How long has it been?"

He shook his head wearily, disgusted with himself. "You don't wanna know."

"That long." Seth tilted his head a little, as if trying to decide how to continue. "Well, if it's any consolation, I know how you feel."

That got his attention. "Oh yeah?"

"Yup. You, my friend, are looking at the king of unrequited-love-from-a-distance. I've probably set some kind of world record and believe me, you don't want to go there. Just suck it up and tell her how you feel."

Sam honestly didn't know what to say to that, so he remained silent. Getting back to the task at hand, he continued to look around the room for the guy he'd tossed his bag to. He felt a nudge from Seth's elbow. "Hey, isn't that him?"

Sam's gaze followed Seth's pointed arm and it took a few seconds to find him. To be honest, he wasn't a hundred percent positive it was the same guy; he'd only glanced at him for a split second. But that was definitely his backpack that was being rifled through.

He walked over and cleared his throat, waiting for the older man to look up. When he did, Sam extended his hand. "Thanks, I'll take that back now."

At least the guy looked embarrassed to be caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Yeah. Yeah, sure. I was just, uh, making sure nothing was missing."

"Right." Sam then spied a couple of small foil packets in the man's hand, the airline logos peeking out between his fingers. "Drop the peanuts," he ordered. Mission accomplished, Sam returned to where Seth was waiting and they made their way back to the girls.

Looking entirely pleased with himself, Seth held out his lucky find towards Summer. "Here, I found these for you."

She laughed as she regarded the tan coloured, lace-up boots dangling from his hand. "Those are the ugliest things I've ever seen," she scoffed.

Obviously stung and a little hurt, Seth drew back. "Fine, I'll just put them back," he snapped.

Seeming to realize her error, Summer got up from the floor. "No, it's okay. I want them."

"Please, don't do me any favours."

She reached for the boots as he tried to snatch them away. "No, really, I want them," she insisted.

They played tug-of-war with the questionable footwear until Seth finally let go. Summer staggered backwards briefly, but was clearly the winner with boots cradled in her arms. "Where did you get them?"

"The lost and found," he grumbled. "They might be a little big."

"They look fine," she said quickly. Then, as an afterthought she added, "Thank you."

As Summer sat down to try them on, the boys also made themselves as comfortable as possible on the floor. They had managed to snag a couple of blankets from the children's section of the library. There had been some cushions in that area too, but they'd been quickly snatched up.

"So what do you think is happening out there?" Laura asked, throwing out the question to everyone. "I've heard some people saying it's just a freak storm. Some think it's the beginning of the end of the world." She turned eyes to Sam. "Have you thought about calling your father?"

"Yeah," Sam admitted. Though he hadn't parted on the best of terms with his dad, he at least ought to call and let his parents know he was okay. The tidal wave must have been all over the news by now. They would be frantic with worry.

"What would your father know?" Seth asked, looking puzzled.

"He's a climatologist," Sam explained. "That doesn't mean he'll have a definite explanation for all this but if anyone has a clue about what could be happening, it would be him."

Seth rooted around his backpack and withdrew his cell phone, making a face. "Battery's dead. Summer?"

"Phone in purse, which was in carry-on bag, which was dumped in street. Sorry."

Sam already knew that Laura didn't have one and neither did he. But he had an idea. "We need to find a payphone," he said abruptly. "They should still be working." He got to his feet and gazed around in surprise as everyone else did the same. "You don't all have to hold my hand. I can make a phone call by myself."

"We haven't been able to reach anyone at home yet," Seth said, with a glance at Summer. "The news never said anything about the tornados touching down in Newport but...both of my parents go into L.A. a lot on business. And so does Summer's father. We should just make sure they're okay."

Sam didn't waste anymore time. "Then let's go."

-------------------------

They managed to find the payphones. Seth was staring at them right now. However, between him and the phones were several feet of water. The water wasn't stagnant, either. It was flowing. Rising.

"Great," he muttered. "I was just drying off."

"I'll check it out first," Sam said, diving right in. "Ahhh!" he yelped, wading forward nonetheless. "It's freezing!" Seconds later, he called back, "It's working. There's a dial tone."

Almost disappointed, Seth hesitated at the edge of the water. Maybe his parents wouldn't even be home. Was it worth it to immerse himself again when he'd just barely escaped the last time?

"I could go in," Summer offered.

"No, no, I'll do it," he said quickly. "I'm just...waiting for the right moment." Before he could change his mind, he jumped in. A whole string of curses reverberated through his brain but somehow, didn't escape his clenched teeth. Up to his waist in the icy liquid, he made his way to the phone, fumbled in his pocket for the coin and made the call.

It was answered after the first ring.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey, Dad."

"_Seth! Are you all right?"_

"Yeah, fine. And Summer too. We're both okay."

"_Thank God. Where are you?"_

"Manhattan Public Library. We saw the tornados on the news and got worried. Everyone's all right?"

"_Yes, everything's fine here. L.A. is devastated but we're okay."_

"And Summer's d-dad?"

"_He's fine too. He just called us, actually, after he heard about the tidal wave. I'll make sure he knows Summer is okay. Hang on, Seth, your mother wants to talk to you."_

"_Seth! Honey, I was so worried."_

"It's....it's...okay, M-mom." His teeth were chattering so hard now, he thought they might break to pieces in his mouth. He could feel a weird current around his legs, threatening to lift him off his feet. "I...I...hafta g-go." The water was already up to his chest. He had to get out of here.

_"But Seth..."_

"S-sorry..."

Seth dropped the phone when his feet went out from under him, dunking his head under water. With a gasp, he came back up for air, finding his footing again. He glanced at Sam, who was clutching the phone unit with one arm and still speaking into the receiver. "Sam, we n-need to go!" he called out. He could hear the girls calling their names, repeating the same sentiment. But Sam kept talking.

Up to his shoulders now. He was starting to feel numb. And tired. So very tired. Turning, he saw Summer crouching down on the step. Her mouth was open and she was yelling something. Funny that he couldn't hear what she was saying, even though he wasn't that far away. He was going to have to swim for it.

The current tugged at his legs again and he went under. Fighting the flow of water, he kicked, swam, desperate and more frightened by the second. He felt himself being dragged away against his will.

_Summer..._

-------------------------

Summer watched as Cohen disappeared for a second time, but she wasn't worried. She was sure that his head would pop back up again.

But it didn't.

The water had risen unbelievably fast in the last thirty seconds. It seemed to be gushing in. Now she couldn't even see Sam.

She barely registered that Laura's fingers were digging into her arm. She just kept watching the water. Waiting.

Finally, a head burst up from the surface. While she was glad, it wasn't the one she'd been waiting for.

"Sam!" Laura cried, dropping Summer's arm so she could help him out of the water. "Sam, you took so long, I thought you...thought you..." She trailed off, as if unable to bear the thought of finishing the sentence.

Sam crawled onto the stairs, shaking, and Laura wrapped her arms around him, holding him close.

"Where is he?" Summer asked. Amazing how her voice sounded so calm.

"I tried to h-help him," Sam stuttered, gazing up at her with wide eyes. She recognized that look. Guilt. "But this c-current came out of nowhere and I...I tried to go after him b-but I ran out of air. I had to come back. I'm sorry."

"Sorry," she repeated tonelessly. "What are you sorry for? He's fine. He's a strong swimmer. You'll see."

"Oh, Summer," Laura whispered. "He's gone."

Summer glared down at her, angry to see the glitter of tears in her eyes. Furious that she had Sam in her arms. "He's not gone."

"Summer..."

_"Shut up, Laura! He's not gone!"_

Summer clamped a hand over her mouth as her scream echoed off the walls. Walls that seemed to be closing in on her, squeezing the air out of her lungs so she couldn't breathe.

She had to find him.

Spinning around, she ran up the stairs and down the hallway, her boots pounding on the stone floor. The stupid, clunky, ugly boots that he had cared enough to find for her. She found a flight of steps leading down and followed them to the edge of rushing water.

_"Seth!"_

Up the stairs she went again, racing further down the corridor. She could picture his soft, curly hair. His gentle, chocolate eyes. Eyes that saw the good in her when no one else did. She was at the end of the hall and the last set of stairs going down. Running, practically flinging herself downward, she stood and stared at the silent water.

_"Seth!"_

Hysteria bubbled through her, twisting her stomach and clawing at her soul. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real.

But it was. It was cold and harsh, but it was real.

Grief as she had never known shattered through her heart, rendering her legs useless. She collapsed on the step, sobbing, arms around her knees and rocking back and forth. How could this have happened? He had come for her, saved her life, and now she had failed him. When she'd seen him go under the second time, she should have jumped in and pulled him to safety. She was a strong swimmer too. She could have done it. Instead, like a fool, she'd done nothing. Now he was dead. And she was alone. Despair wrenched another sob from her throat. _"SETH!"_

"I'm right here. You don't have to y-yell."

For a moment, she flashed back to the plane ride when she'd shouted in his ear. Was her mind playing tricks on her? Raising her head, she felt a rush of blinding joy. "Seth!

He was struggling to pull himself out of the water. Summer jumped down the remaining steps and grabbed onto him, dragging him up. Concerned about his uncontrolled shivering, she placed a hand on his cheek, almost recoiling from the icy touch. "You're freezing!" she exclaimed. "We have to get you dried off and warm."

"Just...just let me r-rest for a minute," he implored.

She took pity on him, knowing how exhausted he must be. How hard he must have fought. "Just for a minute," she agreed. She sat with her arms around him, supporting his back and letting him rest against her. Another wave of emotion flooded over her and she bent her head down, covering his face with kisses.

"Are you crying?" he asked, sounding incredulous.

"Yes, you idiot. I thought you were dead. Don't you ever do that to me again."

"Well, you almost d-died on me first. I couldn't let you h-have all the fun."

She said nothing, continuing to hold him tight, grateful that they'd been given this second chance. She swore to herself that it wouldn't be wasted.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for any inaccuracy in the French language. Translation is courtesy of Babel Fish at AltaVista:

_Soin de prise de votre petite fille._ Take care of your little girl.

Thanks again for the reviews, or should I say, _merci beaucoup._ I appreciate each and every one!


	7. Fire

Sam idly shuffled the cards in his hands, his mind starting to drift. He looked up at the window in the distance, the snow still swirling like mad in the wind. From tidal wave to icy snowstorm; it was difficult to believe. Even after the brief conversation with his father yesterday, he still didn't know what was going on. All he had to go by was his father's frantic advice to stay indoors and wait out the coming storm. He had heard the fear and concern in Jack Hall's voice and instinctively understood that this was serious.

"Hey, are you gonna deal those puppies or just shuffle them to death?"

He snapped out of it and gave Seth an apologetic smile. "Yeah, sorry."

They had been playing poker for the last hour and so far, Seth was winning. Summer was a close second and Sam was dead last. He just couldn't seem to get a winning hand and he was a terrible bluffer. Dealing out another round, he paused as he saw a gathering crowd around the windows. Some of them were pointing outside and there was a swelling hum of chattering voices.

One guy turned around to announce what was going on. "We can see people! They're all walking on the snow."

It had started snowing yesterday, just after they'd witnessed the insanely bizarre sight of an ocean freightliner making its way down 5th Avenue before getting stuck a little past the library. The gentle snowflakes had soon roared into a full-fledged storm with a fast accumulation of snow. If people were walking on it, the floodwater must have frozen over.

Sam took some comfort in the sighting of others. Their world had been eerily condensed to the people in this room and until now, there had been no sign of life outside. He supposed it only made sense that if they'd survived, others must have too. But why hadn't anyone come for them yet? Surely the government could bring in the military or search and rescue teams to find them. Instead, it seemed only his father cared enough to come. And despite all of the past promises made and unfulfilled, Sam believed with all his heart that this one wouldn't be broken.

"Okay, people, gather your things and let's move out of here," commanded a voice that sounded like a person well acquainted with giving orders. It was a police officer and he waved his arms and clapped his hands a couple of times to get everyone's attention. "If they're walking on the snow, so can we. It looks like no one is coming for us so we'll have to help ourselves."

An almost palpable excitement filled the air, as if everyone was glad to finally get a move on and actively do something, rather than just sit and wait in limbo. They all began packing up except Sam's little group. He caught Laura's eyes on him.

"Sam, you should say something," she said.

"I know. But I don't think they'll listen."

"You have to try," she insisted.

She was right. Tossing down the cards, he jogged up to the officer. "Excuse me, sir, but you're making a big mistake."

The man barely acknowledged him, intent on helping a young boy with his coat. "What's that?"

Sam spoke louder, emphasizing each word. "I said you're making a mistake."

Finally, he had the older man's full attention. "What do you mean?"

"Don't lead these people outside. There's a storm coming. A bad one. We have to stay inside and wait it out."

The officer regarded him with a mixture of uncertainty and disbelief. "Where are you getting your information?" he demanded.

"From my father. He's a professor. A climatologist. He works in Washington and he knows what he's talking about."

Sam was so focused on the policeman, he didn't notice that others had stopped and gathered around him, listening intently. At least, not until they started arguing with him.

"But we don't have a lot of food. If a storm is coming, it would be better to find some help than stay here and starve."

"How do we know your father knows what he's talking about?"

"Yeah, especially a weatherman. They never get anything right."

Annoyed, Sam snapped, "I said he's a climatologist. A scientist. Not a TV weather reporter."

"Whatever," shrugged the middle-aged man. "I'm with the cop. We should go."

The crowd murmured in agreement and turned their attention back to preparing to leave.

A single, strong voice cut through the air. "I'm staying."

Sam looked back at Seth, grateful for the audible show of support. It probably wouldn't make a difference but he appreciated it.

"Me too," Summer piped up, getting to her feet.

Laura was the last to stand up. "I'm staying too. Please listen to Sam," she begged. "His father wouldn't tell him to stay if he wasn't absolutely sure it's the right thing to do."

But her words went unheeded. Sam turned once more to face the officer, who was regarding him not unkindly. "You do what you think is best, son. And so will I. Good luck."

In less than five minutes, the crowd began filing out. As far as Sam was concerned, it was a funeral march to their deaths. As they walked past him, he tried one last time, hoping to change someone's mind.

He held out a hand towards an elderly man. "Please, sir, just stay here." He saw a mother leading her children away. "Ma'am, don't do this. They'll die out there."

After a while, the pleas died out on his lips and he simply watched them go. Somehow, he'd managed to get through to three people and they remained behind – the tall, thin woman that he'd spoken to yesterday to ask where the payphones were, a young woman with straight brown hair, and a nervous-looking bespectacled man.

The room suddenly seemed colder than ever as they stood and looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

Seth came up to him and clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, man, you gave it a shot. They just wouldn't listen."

"That's right," Summer agreed. "No one can say you didn't try."

Laura silently stood before him and gave him a hug. She didn't say a word.

"Well," said the man with the glasses. "I suppose introductions are in order."

One by one, they introduced themselves. His name was Jeremy, the young lady was Elsa, and the older woman who worked here was Judith.

"So what now?" Elsa asked.

"We should move to a smaller room," Sam suggested. "It's already starting to feel too cold in here."

"I know the perfect spot," Judith said. "It's small and comfortable. There's even a fireplace."

Summer brought up the next problem. "What about food? I don't think there's anything left in the vending machines."

But Judith had an answer for that too. "There's a lounge for library staff that has its own vending machines and a kitchen. There isn't a lot in the cupboards, but there's crackers, cookies...that type of thing."

"Peanut butter?" Summer asked in a hopeful tone.

"I...I think there might be, yes," Judith replied, giving her a strange look.

"How do you know the cupboards haven't been raided yet?" Seth asked. "Maybe people already found them and cleaned them out."

"The lounge door is locked." Judith reached into her pocket and pulled something out, dangling it with one finger. "And I have the key."

-------------------------

Laura sat a few feet back from the fire, about as content as someone could be while stranded in a public library, a blizzard raging outside. There was nothing like the sound of books crackling in the fireplace. It was shameful, really, to be burning them. But she understood the need and was grateful to be warm. In fact, she was beginning to feel overheated.

She pushed the blanket aside, just as Sam came to sit down in the chair next to her. "Nice and toasty now, isn't it?" he commented.

"Yes it is." She glanced over at Seth and Summer, who were sitting on the floor, looking cozy draped beneath a single blanket. He was speaking in a low voice, one that only she could hear and every so often, the air was punctuated with her laughter. "Do you think they're in love?"

Sam raised an eyebrow as he looked briefly at the couple, then back at her. "I don't know."

She smiled, starting to feel a little drowsy. "I think they are." She held his gaze and gathered up her courage, trying to ignore the fluttering butterflies in her stomach. "Sam, do you like me?"

"Yeah, of course I do."

It was déjà vu, all right. She found herself repeating Summer's question. "No, I mean do you _like_ me?"

"Uh..."

She watched as he pondered the question, looking perplexed. She tried to be patient but he was taking entirely too long to answer. Embarrassed, wanting to throw herself into the fire, she attempted to crawl out of the hole she'd dug for herself. "It's okay, Sam. Never mind."

"No, no, I...oh, hell," he muttered, running a hand through his hair.

With a flicker of hope, she unconsciously mimicked his action as he leaned forward. "I do. I've liked you for a long time."

A thrill shot through her from head to toe at his confession. "Really? For how long?"

"Since ninth grade."

"But..." She paused, searching her memory. "I didn't know you in ninth grade. Not until..."

He finished the sentence for her. "Not until I joined the decathlon team. I know." He leaned even closer, until their faces were mere inches apart. "And do you know why I joined the team?"

Mesmerized by the depths of his eyes, she shook her head. But somehow, she knew what the answer would be before he even said it. "Because of you, Laura."

As her gaze flickered to his lips, she marvelled at how perfectly formed they were. With that silly thought in her head, her eyes closed as she felt those lips press against her own. So soft. So sweet. Her pulse throbbed in a heady beat and she found herself breathless. Or maybe that was just the effect of the kiss.

When they parted, she honoured him with her own confession. "I like you too, Sam. Very much."

And she was rewarded by a smile.

-------------------------

"...And then Captain Oats, with Princess Sparkle at his side, galloped into the sunset to live happily ever after. The end."

Summer yawned and then smiled up at Seth. "I loved that. Tell me another one."

"You look ready to fall asleep on me. Shouldn't we call it a night?"

"Don't make me beg, Cohen."

He chuckled, amused that she was enjoying his ramblings so much. "Okay, how about a different pairing. Princess Sparkle and Spiderman?"

"Ew!" she protested, with a wrinkle of her nose. "I don't think so. Besides, we should at least keep it within the same species."

"Hmm...good point. The Black Stallion, then?"

She pondered that possibility. "Yeah, not bad. But there's no, you know, physical Black Stallion, is there? Isn't he just a character in a book?"

"That's the best I've got right now."

"Let's just stick with Captain Oats. I like him best."

"Okay." He could live with that. Princess Sparkle shouldn't go messing around with superheroes anyway. They just didn't understand the real Sparkle the way the Captain did.

Pulling up the blanket a little higher around Summer's shoulders, Seth began with the classic line, "Once upon a time..."

* * *

A/N: Once again, thank you for the reviews. A special thanks to FriendsFan3 for the proper French translation. I probably won't bother to correct it here but certainly will before I post it on my own site.


	8. Ice

Summer was vaguely aware that someone was calling her name. She wasn't quite awake yet and tried to return to her dream. It had been something pleasant. Fields of gently rippling grass, dotted with purple and yellow wildflowers. She could even feel the breeze on her face.

"Summer!"

Okay, she was officially awake now. Turning over, she opened one eye reluctantly to find Seth peering down at her. "I'm up," she said croakily. "This better be good."

"It's Laura. We can't wake her up. She looks really sick."

Instantly alert and worried, she threw the blanket aside and followed him a few short steps. Laura was slumped down on a chair, her feet propped up on a small end table. Sam was crouched over her while Elsa and Jeremy stood by, looking helpless.

"What happened?" Summer asked.

"I don't know," Sam replied, anxiety written all over his face. "She was fine last night. Then this morning, she wouldn't wake up. I tried calling her name. Shaking her. She's totally out of it."

Judith rushed into the room, carrying a large reference book. "Let's go over her symptoms again," she said, flipping a couple of pages. "She has a fast pulse?"

Summer regarded the unconscious girl closely. Her skin had lost its usual glow, looking pale and listless. She seemed to be breathing abnormally fast and occasionally shook from tremors, as if she was cold.

"Yeah, it's pretty fast," Sam answered.

"Fever?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so. She actually feels too cool. And look, she's shivering sometimes."

Judith was murmuring under her breath, as her finger followed down the page. "Rapid pulse and breathing...low temperature...chills...pale." She turned to another section of the book. "Does anyone know if she's hurt herself recently?"

"Actually, she said something yesterday about hurting her leg," Elsa spoke up.

"That's right," Summer said. "I saw her limping yesterday. But she said it was nothing."

Sam knelt down to pull up the hem of one leg of her jeans. As the wound was revealed, almost everyone emitted a collective gasp. The angry, red cut on the side of her calf was swollen and leaking pus.

Summer's lip curled downwards as Seth voiced her exact thoughts.

"That's nasty," he whistled, flinching as if in empathetic pain.

"Definitely infected," Jeremy said, stating the obvious.

"I think she has blood poisoning," Judith reported, looking down to consult the book again. "It's also called septicaemia and judging by her symptoms, I think she's developing septic shock."

Sam slowly stood up again. "What does that mean?"

"Her blood pressure and blood flow are getting too low. It may cause vital organs to fail. The brain, kidneys, liver..."

"There must be something we can do," Summer interrupted, appalled by what she was hearing. After everything they'd been through and now this. It wasn't fair.

"I...I don't think so." Judith looked both flustered and defeated. "It says the infection has to be treated quickly to prevent it from spreading to the heart and lungs. We need antibiotics. Penicillin. I just don't see how we can pull that out of the air."

"And if she doesn't get treatment?" Sam asked softly.

Judith shot him a level gaze. "I think you know."

Horrified, Summer leaned into Seth for support and he placed an arm around her shoulder. Poor Laura. She didn't deserve this. Tears sprang to her eyes and she blinked, trying to maintain her composure.

Sam, however, wasn't as subtle. "Well, we can't just accept this. We can't sit here and do nothing," he railed.

Jeremy crossed his arms across his chest. "What, exactly, do you propose we do?"

Sam started pacing back and forth, tossing out ideas as they came to him. "There...there must be a pharmacy around here somewhere. They would have penicillin, right? We just have to go out there and find it somehow."

"Oh, absolutely, that's not a problem," Jeremy said, in a mocking tone that made Summer want to slap him. "We _just_ have to find it, hmmm?" His voice instantly changed to exasperation. "Do you comprehend the fact that we're buried in twenty feet of snow out there? What you're suggesting is impossible. Besides, wasn't it your father who explicitly told you to stay indoors?"

"I'm not going to stand here and watch Laura die!" Sam barked, looking close to breaking down.

Jeremy held up a placating hand. "Look, I understand how upset you are. It's a terrible shame. It really is. But this girl doesn't stand a chance."

Sam bit his lip and turned his back on all of them, as if he wanted to shut them out or more likely, to hide his despair.

Jeremy opened his mouth to say more but Elsa quietly spoke up first. "Put a sock in it, Jeremy."

He looked mortally offended. "But..."

"I mean it," she hissed fiercely. "Otherwise the precious Gutenberg Bible is the next log in the fire."

Silently applauding Elsa, Summer watched sadly as Sam plopped down on the chair next to Laura. He held one of her hands, rubbing it gently as if trying to keep it warm.

Seth grabbed a couple of nearby chairs so he and Summer could sit and talk with Sam. They said nothing, waiting for their distressed friend to speak first. It took a while but he finally did. "I was so happy last night," he told them, one corner of his mouth turned upwards at the pleasant memory. "The happiest I've ever been in my life. I told her how I felt and she feels the same way about me. Can you believe it?"

"Yeah, I can," Summer replied honestly.

"There's gotta be something we can do." He remained insistent on that point, unwilling to give up hope.

Seth offered his opinion. "Sam, as much as I hate to agree with Mr. Uptight Bigmouth over there, I think he's right. Trying to find penicillin in some buried pharmacy would be like...like trying to find that blue diamond necklace after it got dropped in the ocean."

Summer narrowed her eyes at him. "_What_ are you talking about?"

"You know, like in Titanic? We were just watching it last week."

"Oh, good one," she scoffed.

But Sam seemed to inexplicably perk up at that analogy. "Titanic," he exclaimed. "Seth, that's it! You're a genius!"

Seth smiled with some uncertainty. "Why, thank you. But, uh, how so exactly?"

"That ship that's stuck out there. It must have medication on board. It's our best shot."

"I suppose that's possible, yeah," Seth conceded, though he didn't sound entirely convinced.

With one last look at Laura, Sam stood up. "I have to give it a try. I know Dad said not to go outside but I think he'd understand."

Seth got to his feet as well. "I'm going with you."

"Yeah? Thanks, man."

Getting a little ticked off that she seemed to be excluded from this conversation, Summer followed suit. "I'm going too."

"No," both boys said in unison, as if they shared the same brain.

"Why not?" she shot back.

Sam gave his reasoning first. "It's too dangerous."

"Oh, please!"

"And you know how you hate to get wet? This is worse. Snow, ice...I mean it's seriously cold out there," Seth advised.

"Cohen, don't patronize me,"Summer said in a low tone, hands on hips.

Seth widened his eyes, giving his best innocent look. "I wasn't." He turned to Sam. "Was that patronizing?"

"Well, the bit about hating to get wet might have been, yeah," Sam replied.

"Thanks," Seth said sarcastically. "Anyway, we just don't know what to expect out there. I don't want to worry about you."

"You don't have to. I can take care of myself," Summer insisted. "Laura is my friend too. The more people you have searching the ship, the better."

But they were already reaching for their coats and turning away. "Forget it, Summer. You're staying here and that's final," Seth commanded.

Summer was left open mouthed and sputtering as they ran out. She couldn't believe Seth Cohen was giving her orders. What was up with that? And why was she obeying them?

Elsa came over, looking curious. "What was that about?" she asked.

"Oh, just my boyfriend deciding to become macho-man and get all protective. Puh-lease! Someone needs to watch _his_ ass," Summer fumed. "Sam got this idea that maybe there's penicillin on the ship that we saw yesterday. They're going to look for it." She paused and looked at Elsa hopefully. "Would you come with me?"

"Oh, I...I don't know. I couldn't..."

"It's okay," Summer cut in quickly. "You don't have to. But I'm going in."

-------------------------

It looked like a winter wonderland out here. They were surrounded by pristine, sparkling white snow. However, it hardly felt like a wonderland. The wind was sharp and bitterly cold, seeming to cut right through his thick coat. In fact, it was probably about as icy as the reception he expected to get from Summer upon his return.

Seth knew that he'd pissed her off royally. If looks could kill, well, he would have been a dead man. But he stood by his decision. He was only concerned about her safety. Somehow, he would make it up to her. Perhaps an extra long story tonight featuring their favourite equine hero and heroine. Or when they got back to Newport, he'd take her shopping.

If they got back to Newport.

What if Sam's father didn't make it? They were being careful to ration out their food supply but for six people, it probably wouldn't last for more than another day. If they were stuck for much longer than that, they would definitely suffer from hunger pains.

On the plus side, Seth had told his father where they were. Maybe he was trying to figure out a way to get to them too.

"Seth, come on!"

He raised his head and saw Sam already at the base of the ship. Lost in thought, he'd been lagging behind. He picked up the pace and firmly told himself to focus on the present. They had to help Laura now or she wasn't going to make it, period. That's what he had to concentrate on.

After catching up to Sam, they made their way up the metal staircase. It was steep and slippery, so they were careful about their footing and didn't rush. Once up top, they crossed the short distance to the nearest door. As Sam reached for the handle, Seth half expected that it would be locked. But instead, it swung open easily.

"Great! It's open," Seth commented, stepping forward.

He almost stumbled into Sam's back when he halted suddenly, bending down. "Yeah, it's open," Sam repeated. "That's strange." He fiddled with the lock for a moment and then straightened up again. "The lock is broken. Like it's been tampered with."

"Maybe it's just broken and they never got around to fixing it," Seth said. "What difference does it make? It's open, right?"

"Right."

Sam continued on, with Seth at his heels. Without the wind chill factor, it was slightly warmer inside. It was quiet, but not completely soundless. Seth could still hear the whistling of the wind outside and every so often there were metallic groaning noises, as if something shifted in protest. Looking around as he walked, he fervently hoped that they wouldn't witness anything grotesque, like dead, frozen bodies, for instance. He really didn't think he could handle that.

But no corpses littered their path. Perhaps the ship had been docked for a while at port before the tidal wave had arrived, so no one had been aboard. That made sense. In any case, it appeared they had the place for themselves.

They investigated the first few rooms they came upon but they were all sleeping quarters. Sam hesitated when they came to an intersection with another corridor, so Seth turned to the right. "Let's try this way."

He pushed open the first door he saw and froze in his tracks, taken by surprise. So much for his belief that they were alone on this ship.

At the creak of the door opening, the body turned around, eyes wide with equal surprise at the unexpected intrusion. Seth took in the scene with one sweeping gaze – the cupboards left flung open with items scattered on the floor, the bottles of pills and vials of medicine lined up on the counter and most telling, the wild-eyed look of the guy who was staring back at him.

"What is it?"

Sam's curious voice came from behind and Seth stepped into the room. "We've got company," he stated.

The stranger pointed a trembling finger at them, motioning towards the door. "You guys get outta here," he ordered, though his voice didn't sound at all commanding. In fact, he appeared nervous and jittery, a light sheen of sweat on his face despite the relative cold.

"Look, a friend of ours is really sick," Sam explained, his voice low and calm. "All we want is some antibiotics. Penicillin. Can we take a look?"

"No!"

"You can take anything else in here. Morphine, cough syrup, whatever. If there is penicillin here, it's not going to give you any kind of buzz," Sam pressed on, trying his best to sound convincing.

But the guy wasn't being very agreeable. "No way! We found it first! Get your own stash."

Seth was growing impatient. There was no point in attempting to reason with this loser. "Dude, you know what? There's two of us and one of you. We don't want to hurt you but if you don't move out of the way, you're going to regret it." Okay, that sounded pretty good. He arranged his features in what he hoped looked like a threatening scowl but the moment was ruined when he belatedly realized something. "Wait a minute. Did you say 'we'?"

As if on cue in a well-rehearsed play, Bad Guy Number Two made his entrance from an adjoining room with a squirming Damsel In Distress caged in his arms. Oh, perfect.

"Let _go _of me, you meathead," she spat out.

"Summer," Seth moaned. "You followed us?" He should have known. He should have expected it. And yet he hadn't seen this one coming.

She ignored the rhetorical question and also stopped her futile struggles, as if deciding to conserve her energy. Besides, she didn't stand a chance against this guy. He easily outweighed her by a hundred pounds. Other than the fact that he physically looked more intimidating than his friend, Seth got a bad vibe from him. He just looked more menacing somehow. Of course, the fact that he had one thick arm around Summer's waist and the other around her neck might have had something to do with it.

"Well, well, well," drawled the mean guy. "Looks like we've got a party going on here. What's up, boys?"

Sam tried his reasoning approach again. "All we're looking for is penicillin. Our friend is going to die without it and we're running out of time. Please, that's all we want."

"Well, now, that sounds reasonable enough, doesn't it, Dave? Except then you'll be wanting some painkillers. And then you'll decide you need the food I found back there."

"No," Sam stated emphatically. "Just the antibiotic. Then we're gone. You can have everything else."

"Even your cute little friend, here?"

Seth felt a chill run down his back at the man's smile. The guy was cold and completely in control of himself. He wasn't shaky, sweating and nervous like his pal Dave. That made him all the more dangerous. Seth had never started a fight before. He'd been the punching bag on the receiving end countless times, yeah, but instigating a challenge was new to him. He desperately hoped Sam could throw punches as well as Ryan. "Let her go," he said slowly and clearly. "Unless you want your ass kicked."

The man burst out laughing, which was not the effect Seth had been hoping for. Perhaps that had sounded more cheesy than tough.

"Good one, kid. Let's see you try it." In a smooth, quick motion, he withdrew a hidden gun and aimed it at Seth's head.

Whoa. In a reflex action, Seth raised his hands, his heart thudding madly in his chest. Not good. Definitely not good.

"Hey, take it easy!" Sam exclaimed, taking one step back.

"That's it, you've got the right idea," the man encouraged. "Just walk away and you don't get hurt." He glanced at his slack-jawed friend who hadn't said a word since he'd come into the room. "Dave! Put everything in your bag now. We're going."

"Okay, okay." Dave picked up his gym bag and started tossing the bottles in. In his haste or clumsiness, one vial smashed on the floor.

"Be careful, for fuck's sakes!"

"Sorry," Dave said meekly, continuing to load the bag a little more slowly.

Seth took a step forward. Why, he didn't know. Like he thought he could take the guy while he was distracted, or something. The sound of the hammer cocking was impossibly loud and rang in his ears.

"You want to take me on?" the man inquired softly.

Seth stared down the black barrel, gulping. "Just let her go," he pleaded again.

The man sighed. "You know, you're really starting to annoy me now. You're like a broken record. Not that a kid like you even knows what a record is." He closed one eye as if he was taking careful aim.

Seth debated whether he should hit the floor or try to tackle the guy. In the split second before he could make up his mind, Summer decided to speak up.

"Hey, birdbrain! If you think I'm actually going to let you take me anywhere, you're dumber than you look."

Oh, God. It took every ounce of Seth's will power not to groan out loud. What was she doing?

But the man took the bait whole. "Oh yeah?" he snarled.

"Yeah," she stated defiantly. "You've got the I.Q. of a warthog and the breath to match."

"Summer," Seth warned, his fear multiplying when the guy started swinging the gun around towards her temple.

Then things happened so fast, it was hard to comprehend. First, Summer threw both hands up to deflect the arm that held the gun, pushing it high in the air. A single shot fired and blasted through a small window, shattering the glass outward. Then she seemed to twist his wrist, bending back his whole _arm_ at some unnatural angle. The gun fell from his slack fingers, clattering to the floor. Beneath the man's howls of pain, there was an unpleasant snapping, crunching sound that made Seth wince. The guy was on his knees but she still wasn't done with him. A swift and brutal kick to his groin sent him writhing to the floor in a magnificent display of agony.

In the meantime, Sam had grabbed a fire extinguisher off the wall and pummelled Dave in the head with it, knocking him out cold. He immediately began searching through the bottles. Seth hadn't even lifted a finger and the villains had been taken care of. Cool.

He noticed Summer drawing her foot back for another kick and he actually reached out to stop her, thinking she was aiming to truly finish him off. "Look, he's passed out already," he pointed out. "Show a little mercy."

"Mercy?" she repeated incredulously. "He was going to kill you and probably Sam and then have some fun with me. He doesn't deserve mercy." She stopped and took a breath, seeming to force herself to calm down a little. "Anyway, I wasn't aiming for his head or anything. I was just going to bruise a few ribs. You know, to make sure he wasn't going to follow us anytime soon."

Seth stared at her. "You're scaring me. How the hell did you do what you just did?"

"Six months of self-defense class. Daddy's idea. Good to know it wasn't a total waste of time." With admirable nonchalance, she picked up the gun from the floor and walked over to the broken window, tossing it outside.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side," Seth muttered.

Summer smiled at him sweetly.

"I found it!" Sam cried triumphantly, holding some bottles in the air. "Penicillin!" He placed them in the gym bag and slung the strap over his shoulder. "Okay, let's go."

"Wait. The food is just in the next room," Summer said. "We should take some back with us."

Sam hesitated as if he was going to start arguing, but instead he nodded. "Okay, but let's make it quick. I'm worried that we've already taken too long."

As she led the way, Sam added, "By the way, very impressive moves, Summer."

"I know," she said over her shoulder.

She sounded quite smug and Seth couldn't fault her for that. Very impressive indeed. It made him think about the time that she had dressed up as Wonder Woman. Wow, she really could have put the moves on him. Definitely did not want to get on her bad side.

Working quickly, they stuffed as many cans as they could in the bag and made their way back outside. It had stopped snowing but the wind was still strong and picked up the loose flakes on the ground, twirling them around. They walked as quickly as possible, knowing every minute counted for Laura.

Seth looked ahead and was relieved to see they would soon be at the entrance of the library. That's when he noticed something odd. He couldn't feel the wind anymore. Snow that had been caught up in the gusts sprinkled slowly and gently back down to the ground. Weird.

Sam had stopped in his tracks, looking up to the sky. Seth followed his gaze and saw a ring of clouds that opened up to reveal a circle of beautiful blue sky. It reminded him of something – like being in the eye of a hurricane.

Now that wasn't a good thought.

Sam was apparently having the same premonition. "Guys, this isn't good. Run!"

Summer slipped her hand into his and they began to run. One would think that by now, he would be an old hand at running. This fleeing for your life thing. But that was not the case. Skateboarding was fun. Biking was okay. Running. Totally. Sucked.

Finally, they were inside the library. They kept up the sprinting pace. He was seriously out of breath but he made himself keep going, legs pumping like mad. It was getting colder. The air was literally getting frosty and he could hear the crackling of stone right behind him. Now really, what kind of temperature could freeze stone in less than a second? He didn't want to find out.

The last time he'd ran for his very survival, he'd made the mistake of looking back. He didn't make the same mistake again. Instead, he focused on Sam's back, following close behind. They burst through the door of their little sanctuary and Summer had the presence of mind to slam it shut behind them.

Elsa, Jeremy and Judith all looked up in surprise at their alarming entrance.

"Books! More books!" Sam shouted, making a beeline for the fireplace. "Don't let the fire go out!"

They all jumped to the task, starting a feeding frenzy into its hungry mouth. Seth watched in dread fascination as the wood of the closed door began to glaze over with an icy frosting. It rippled across the adjoining wall and partially onto the floor but there, it seemed to stop.

The fire was blazing so hotly now, they all had to stand back. They had done it. Even the particles of ice on the floor were starting to recede now, though the far wall and door remained encased in frost. Seth noticed that the piles of books in the room were higher than he'd last seen them. The stock had been replenished while they'd gone to the ship. Good timing.

"What was _that_?" Summer exclaimed. She spoke to no one in particular, simply venting her disbelief.

"At least we know my dad was right about staying inside," Sam offered, as he ripped into the gym bag. "How's Laura?"

"No better. No worse," Judith answered.

"Well, guess what we found," Sam said, lining up the bottles on the table. "Penicillin. I just hope we're not too late."

* * *

A/N: So, melissa, you survived your own 'Day After Tomorrow' experience! Glad you're okay. I've experienced blackouts (was just about this time last year, actually) but nothing like a hurricane. Did you notice there were no wolves in this chapter? Happy? LOL! I didn't like that whole sequence in the film either. It was contrived and obvious. So when I was planning my version of the story, I knew I would replace the wolves with something else. Of course, I don't know if my version is any less contrived but I had to have some kind of conflict on the ship. So that's what I came up with. Better or worse than the wolves? I'll let you (and everyone else) decide.

To SparkingDiamond: For the record, I liked Luther and his dog too but I didn't need another secondary character so unfortunately, they bit the dust.

To everyone else: Thanks again for the reviews. We're heading into the home stretch now.


	9. The Crying Game

Summer was bored.

It had been a little over two days since they'd gone to the ship. The penicillin had done its work for Laura. Although weak and tired, she was recovering now and seemed to be doing okay. Judith had taken on the task of keeping her wound clean, using gauze from a first aid kit to change her dressing.

The food supply was starting to dwindle. They were down to two cans of beans, three chocolate bars, half a box of crackers and two small bags of chips. Summer had never had canned beans before and not to her surprise, she didn't like them. She didn't complain out loud, of course. Food was food and she ate her share like everyone else. But that didn't mean she had to like it. She would kill for a pepperoni pizza right now.

Sam had told them a little more about his father. Although he'd studied weather in all types of climates, his specialty was the Antarctic. He'd spent weeks, even months, in extreme conditions there with his trained crew. So according to Sam, making the journey through this snowstorm in New York would be no problem. If that was the case, why wasn't he here yet?

Summer wasn't sure exactly how he was supposed to be getting here. They hadn't heard any planes flying overhead. In fact, they hadn't seen or heard any sign of life outside since running into the two losers on the ship. They had no radio. No phone. Basically no damn idea what was happening in the world. Maybe Mr. Hall was driving. Walking. Maybe he was dead.

Summer was afraid.

And she hated her fear. Hated this lost, overwhelming sense of the unknown. So she covered it up with boredom. She also couldn't seem to avoid adding a healthy dose of bitchiness. Almost everything everyone was doing was starting to annoy her – Judith continually hovered over Laura like a mother hen, Elsa and Jeremy had endless philosophical discussions about history and politics. Even Cohen was grating on her nerves with his Sparkle and Oats stories. Yes, they'd been cute and engaging at first. Now she just wanted Sparkle to sit on Oats so he would be quiet and leave her in peace. At least for a little while. The only people on her good list right now were Laura and Sam, mainly because they didn't say much. Laura spent most of her time sleeping and Sam just never left her side.

Having nearly bitten Cohen's head off about an hour ago for something stupid and meaningless, Summer sat in a corner of the room and played solitaire. It was a mindless game and kept her hands busy. Perfect when she didn't want to think about anything.

"Can I join you?"

She looked up at Cohen. "It's solitaire. Meaning for one." Hearing the hostility in her voice, she winced internally. God, what was wrong with her? She expected him to leave her alone in disgust but he didn't.

"How about something different? Go Fish?"

She hadn't played that since she was, like, eight. How lame could you get?

"Okay," she found herself replying. Wow, she really _was_ bored.

They played several hands before Cohen asked a question that didn't start with, 'do you have a...?'.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked.

"No. Do you have a seven?"

"I know something's bothering you," he insisted.

"Well, hello, we've only been trapped in this library for what, four days? We're going to run out of food soon, I freakin' _hate_ beans, we didn't even pick out interesting books that we could read, and I really, really need a shower." She glared at him with both hands stuffed full of cards. "So excuse me if I'm a little cranky but _do you have a seven_?"

He burst out laughing at her. In fact, he doubled over in a snorting fit of laughter, dropping a couple of cards in the process. She gave him a dirty look and then spied the seven of spades that had just fluttered to the floor. Snatching it up, she exclaimed, "Ha! I'll take that. Stop laughing or I'll poke you in the eye."

That only made him laugh harder. She gave up, throwing down the cards and leaning back with arms folded over her chest. Sure, just laugh it up, she thought crossly. At least someone was having a good time.

He eventually calmed down and placed an arm around her. "Stop worrying. We're going to be fine. You'll see."

She didn't know if it was the comforting words or the simple warmth of his touch that did her in, but she couldn't stop the sudden welling of tears in her eyes. "I'm scared, Cohen," she whispered.

He nodded. "I know."

"Aren't you?"

"Hell, yeah."

She sniffled and leaned her head against him. "I'm glad you're here."

Kissing the top of her head, he said, "Ditto."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With a sharp intake of breath, Laura jerked awake. Her mouth felt like cotton and her heart was beating so rapidly, she took some deliberately deep breaths to calm herself. She'd been having a nightmare but like most dreams, she couldn't quite recall what had been happening. She only knew it had been disturbing and that she'd felt like crying.

"Are you okay?"

She turned her head to find Sam regarding her with concern. His puppy dog eyes always seemed to be watching her with a continually worried look. It was both disconcerting and sweet.

"Yeah," she replied, a little shakily. "Just a bad dream."

"Want some water?"

"Please."

He returned momentarily with a mug and handed it to her. She sipped the cool liquid gratefully. "How's our water supply doing?" she asked. They had lucked out in that respect. Along with the vending machine of snacks in the lounge, there had been a couple cases of bottled water.

"We've still got a little over a case left," Sam replied. "Not doing as well with the food, though."

"Should we be...worried?"

He gave a half shrug. "I don't know. I can't believe my dad isn't here yet. When the food runs out, I don't know how long we can stay here."

That was a problem. Although she didn't feel too badly, she still didn't have much strength. She didn't even want to think about leaving the shelter of the library. All she could do was hope and pray that Sam's father would show up before they had to contemplate striking out on their own.

Poor Sam. He sat hunched over, the strain and stress of the last few days evident on his shadowed face. He'd been the one looking out for her since disaster had struck but no one had been making sure he was okay. The leather chair she was sitting in was wide enough for two if she scooted over.

Doing just that, she patted the cushioned space beside her. "Sit next to me, Sam."

Looking mildly surprised but pleased, he sank down beside her, careful not to jostle her too much. "Is your leg okay?" he asked.

"It's fine." She sighed a little, happy just to have him near. "Put your arm around me," she murmured. He obliged and she nestled into him. "That's better." She rested an arm across his chest. "How are you doing?"

"Me? I'm okay."

"You must be worried about your father."

It took him a few seconds to respond. "Yeah," he admitted. "I think he should have been here by now."

A few trite phrases ran through her head, ranging from 'don't worry' to 'I'm sure he's fine'. But there wasn't a shred of truth to any of those platitudes. Instead, she said, "I never thanked you, did I? For saving my life. Summer told me that you were the only one who really believed in looking for the penicillin."

Humble to the core, he tried to brush it off. "I had help."

"Yes, but it was _you_ that believed. So thank you."

"You're welcome."

They sat in silence for a while until she got up the nerve to ask something that had been bothering her. "Can I ask a question?"

"Sure."

"I feel like these past couple of days, you're always watching me. Is it just because you've been worried?"

"Am I weirding you out?" he asked, perhaps only half-jokingly.

"Maybe a little," she confessed.

"Well, every time you fall asleep, I'm afraid you might not wake up. So yeah, I guess I've been watching over you to make sure you're still with us."

She was touched by his concern. "I'm okay now. Really."

"I know. I just...want to make sure, I guess." He truly did sound embarrassed now.

"Have you been getting enough sleep?"

"Yeah, I'm okay."

As she gazed at the dark smudges beneath his eyes, she didn't believe him. She could just picture him the last couple of nights, practically glued to her side, checking to make sure she was still breathing. "Sam, close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just close your eyes and relax. I'm right here."

Giving her a questioning look, he did as she asked, lids fluttering closed. "Are you trying to get me to sleep?"

"Mmm hmm."

She felt his muscles loosening as he gave way to a yawn. "What about you?" he mumbled.

"I'll watch over you for a change."

In less than a minute, he was fast asleep and she was content to watch him breathe.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Sam."

He twitched his nose, muttering incoherently.

"Sam, wake up."

Feeling a persistent shake of his arm, Sam slowly opened his eyes. Laura's bright gaze was inches from his face and he couldn't help smiling at her beauty. "What time is it?" He felt wonderfully rested, though he could feel a little kink in his neck.

"It's early in the morning," she replied. "And you have a visitor. Look."

He followed the direction of her gaze to find his father staring down at him. At first, he thought he was still dreaming. He blinked and shook his head a little but the vision remained. "Dad," he uttered in disbelief.

Jack Hall looked so grave, unsmiling. He didn't say hello in greeting but instead said, "I made it."

Getting up from the chair, Sam threw his arms around him. He felt his father returning the embrace, squeezing him tightly. For the first time in days, Sam felt a sense of reassurance that maybe they'd be okay. Some of the burden of feeling responsible for everyone was lifted off his shoulders. His father was here. Alive. His worst fear hadn't come true.

As some of the tension eased from his mind and limbs, Sam was surprised to find himself holding back tears, his throat tightening with emotion. He couldn't remember the last time he'd cried on his father's shoulder. Swallowing hard, he managed to hold onto his dignity.

At last, they pulled away from each other. As Sam felt his father's large hand ruffling his hair, he felt about ten years old again. But for some strange reason, he didn't seem to mind.

"So what took you so long?" Sam asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Jack shrugged, playing along. "Oh, we ran into a little trouble. But nothing we couldn't handle. Right, Jason?"

Sam hadn't noticed the other man who was hanging back slightly. He looked over and gave a little wave, recognizing his father's assistant. The others were starting to stir at the sound of their voices so Sam made the rounds, getting everyone awake. Reactions were varied, from tears to laughter but they all shared in the same sense of relief.

Jack filled them in on what had happened and needless to say, the news was staggering. A new ice age? Fleeing to Mexico? It defied comprehension. Sam really couldn't wrap his mind around all the consequences. Not at the moment anyway, which was just as well. They weren't out of the woods yet; the long trip home still had to be made.

It didn't take them long to pack up and get ready to go. For the first time since they'd entered this room, the fire was extinguished and left smoking in the fireplace. They headed outdoors, leaving the library behind.

Although she proclaimed to be fine, Sam worried about Laura's condition. It was too soon for her to be embarking on a journey like this. However, there didn't seem to be much choice in the matter. Jack promised to keep the pace reasonable and give her enough opportunities to rest.

Hand in hand with Laura, Sam trudged through the snow. It actually wasn't too bad outside. The temperature was tolerable and the wind was mild. There were even moments when the sun peeked out from behind the clouds. He tried to keep his mind focused on the present and not the uncertain future. Right now he had Laura at his side and his father here, leading the way. Considering the circumstances, it was everything he could wish for. On second thought...

Sam looked up at the sky as the sound of a helicopter reached his ears. They could all hear it now and everyone gazed up, waving their arms and jumping up and down. As it came closer, his father remarked that it looked like a military helicopter. Finally, they would have some assistance. It was truly a welcome sight.

He turned to his father. "So we're going to Mexico, Dad?"

"That's right," Jack replied.

Seth cleared his throat. "Um, Mr. Hall?"

"Yes?"

"Could we make a stop in California?"

"I don't see why not."

Sam felt an unexpected twinge of sadness. He'd forgotten that Seth and Summer were from California. They'd made a fast bond of friendship since this ordeal had begun. It would be hard to say goodbye.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Despite the oohs and ahhs that Summer was mouthing as the scenery rushed by, Seth refused to look out the window. As much as he hated flying in airplanes, as least they were bigger and gave some semblance of stability. Helicopters, on the other hand, were too small and had way too much maneuverability. Each dip made his stomach flip over and do a little tap dance.

"Hey, Seth."

He glanced up just as Sam tossed him a small packet. Catching it with one hand, he uncurled his fingers to find a package of peanuts. He raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Trust me," Sam stated in a wise tone. "It'll settle your stomach. It's the salt or something."

Seth tore into the package eagerly and munched away. Yeah, not bad. He'd have to remember that trick.

No one talked much during the flight. In fact, most of them had fallen asleep. Seth wished he could do the same but the incessant noise and his jittery nerves made it impossible. At one point, Sam's father came over and said he was going to use the radio to get in touch with his wife. She could call Seth's parents and let them know where to meet the helicopter. Summer was asleep against his shoulder, so Seth gave the name of a mall in Newport as the meeting spot. They could easily land on the parking lot.

A half hour later, Jack gave Seth a thumb's up. Wow. So they really would be home soon. Although he'd only been gone a few days, he felt like he hadn't seen his parents in a month. He had to admit, it would be good to see them. And man, he sure had a lot of stories to tell Ryan. The thought of being with his family again had him pleased and surprisingly excited. Perhaps being in mortal danger every now and then wasn't such a bad thing after all. It sure made you appreciate the ordinary things in life.

They still had a few hours left to go in their flight. Seth leaned his head back and closed his eyes, thinking it would help him to relax. The next thing he knew, Summer was nudging him.

"Wake up, sleepyhead. We're flying over California," she advised.

Shaking his head a little, he glanced at his watch. He couldn't believe he'd actually slept.

Jack was crouched down in front of him and gave him a smile. "How're you holding up, Seth?"

"Fine."

"Good. I told Summer what we're doing. We'll be approaching Newport Beach soon. You and Summer can go up front and guide the pilot in. We'll start flying a little lower so you should be able to recognize landmarks as we get closer to the mall. Think you can handle that?"

Hopefully. But he nodded. "Yeah, sure."

They went up together and crowded behind the pilot. Seth took a moment to look around at all the controls, dials and buttons. How fascinating it would be to pilot an aircraft like this. Of course, a dread fear of flying was a bit of a hindrance.

Summer patted his arm, pointing below. "Hey, isn't that the freeway?"

"Yeah, I think so," he agreed. He drew the pilot's attention to the road, which looked like a long grey river from up here. "That's the 73 freeway. Just follow along that and we can't miss it."

The pilot swept the helicopter in lower so the landmarks became even more recognizable. Although he still didn't like the act of flying, he had to admit it was an interesting perspective from up here. He had some fun with Summer, pointing out the things they could recognize to each other.

"There it is!" She spoke in an animated tone, her finger aiming down towards the visible parking lot. "Right there, okay?" she told the pilot.

"Roger, that. I see it," he acknowledged.

Seth spotted a pair of familiar blonde and dark haired heads on the ground. "Look, there's my parents!" They were waving at the helicopter and he started waving back before realizing it was impossible for them to see him.

As the aircraft came to a gentle touchdown, Seth and Summer gave out a round of handshakes and hugs. This was the only stop before the remaining group headed to Mexico. Elsa, Jeremy, and Judith had nowhere else to go so that's where they would start to put the pieces of their lives back together again.

They saved their final goodbyes for Sam and Laura. He and Summer had already given them their addresses and phone numbers. At the moment, the only contact information they were able to get in return was Jack's cell phone number. They swore to keep in touch. Although Seth tended to lose contact with people over time, he liked to think he wouldn't let this connection die. He really liked them both and hoped they would be all right. In particular, Laura had yet to contact her family. She hadn't spoken of them much but he knew she was worried.

Jack went through the door first and helped them get down to the ground, the wind from the still rotating blades rippling through their hair and clothes. Seth saw his parents running towards them and they ran as a group to meet them half way.

Seth found himself wrapped in his mother's arms. She held him so fiercely it was difficult to breathe. He closed his eyes briefly, taking comfort in her scent. "Mom, you're strangling me," he finally had to protest.

Kirsten pulled back, wiping at her moist eyes. "Sorry."

He was next in his father's arms. Although it didn't last as long, the embrace was just as tight. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Summer being smothered by his mother next.

When his father let him go, Jack introduced himself and shook Sandy's hand.

"Thank you for everything you've done," Sandy said in a grateful tone. "I've heard about you on the news as well. You've saved a lot of lives."

Jack waved a hand dismissively. "It's our kids that have been amazing. Summer too. My son filled me in on everything they've been through and...well, let's just say you've got a lot to catch up on. You should be proud of Seth."

As Sandy clapped Seth on the shoulder, he said, "I always am."

After Kirsten thanked Jack, he grinned at them and hurried back to the waiting helicopter. They all waved as it slowly hovered off the ground, gained speed and flew away.

As they started walking towards the car, Summer asked, "Where's my dad?"

"Oh sorry, sweetie, I forgot to tell you," Kirsten explained. "I spoke to him myself but he was just starting surgery on someone. He wanted me to tell you he loves you and will be home as soon as he can."

"Oh. Okay," Summer stated in a small voice.

Seth could see her obvious disappointment and he felt a sliver of resentment against Mr. Roberts. Before he could say anything, Kirsten continued on. "Why don't you come back to our place?"

"Yeah," Sandy pitched in. "We'll order in some pizza and fill you in on all the craziness that's been happening. Can you believe it's snowed the last couple of day? It's all melted now but it's been wild."

"Thanks, but that's okay. I'll just go home."

"Well, if you're sure. I called you mother...step-mother," Kirsten corrected herself. "She's there so you won't be alone."

They got into the car and headed for Summer's house. Kirsten kept looking back at them, as if checking to make sure they were still there. "I thought you might be hungry so I brought some food," she offered at one point. "Do you want a banana muffin?"

"Did you make them?" Seth asked without thinking.

"No, smarty-pants," she retorted, over Sandy's loud guffaw. "They're from the bakery you like."

He and Summer both declined, as there had been some food in the helicopter. The rest of the ride was pretty quiet. Whenever he looked over at Summer, she was staring out the window. This was the longest stretch of time he'd ever spent with her – just about a week. And in that period, they'd been on one roller coaster of a ride. They'd probably experienced the full range of human emotion and seen each other at their best and worst. He felt like he'd come through the other side a stronger person. And as much as he thought he knew Summer, she still kept managing to surprise him.

The car came to a halt. They were here. Summer leaned over and gave him a quick kiss, saying goodbye to his parents. She hopped out of the car and his father started pulling away.

This just wasn't right.

"Dad, wait! Stop the car!" Seth practically shouted.

With a screech of brakes, the car jolted to a stop again and he jumped out, running up to her. "Summer!" he called out.

She turned around. "Wha-?"

Before she could even finish the word he locked one arm around her waist, the other tangled in her hair and he pulled her into the deepest, longest, most passionate kiss he could muster. Although she'd reacted stiffly at first – no doubt from the shock of the act – she'd soon melted against him, mouth parting and her arms entwining around him tightly. The intensity and desire shot straight to his toes, literally making them curl. When he finally had to pull away for air, he looked down into her upturned face. As her eyelids fluttered open, he said simply, "I love you".

"Cohen, you...sure know how to sweep a girl off her feet," Summer murmured. "Who would've thought?" Twirling a lock of his hair around her finger, she whispered, "Love you too."

"Why don't you come back with us?" he asked. "I hate to think of you being alone. I mean, your step-mom hardly counts."

"It's okay. Really. I'm just going to hop in the shower anyway. No, wait. A bubble bath. That's what I want. A nice long one."

"You're sure?"

"Yes," she said firmly. "Now, get going. Your parents are staring at us and it's getting a little weird."

When he looked back at the car, he saw both heads whipping around to gaze innocently out the front windshield. Sheesh. He walked Summer up to the door and then jogged back down to the car. After climbing in the back seat, he noticed his father's eyes framed by incredulous, bushy eyebrows in the rearview mirror. His mother was turned back halfway in her seat. Although they didn't say a word, they both stared as if they'd never seen him before.

He held out both hands. "What?"

"Nothing!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Why don't you ever kiss me like that?" Kirsten asked her husband.

In answer, Seth could see his father's eyebrows wiggling obscenely in the mirror.

"Please! There's a minor present," he protested.

Sandy laughed and restarted the engine. "Okay, son. Let's go home."

**THE END**

* * *

A/N: I think there may have been a shorter time span in the movie between going to the ship and when Sam's father showed up, so I made it a little longer in my fic. Just wanted to have the characters a little concerned about the possibility that he might not come at all. And just an explanation on a scene from the last chapter – I know most stories have the typical "guy saves the day" but I wanted to do something different and have Summer kick some ass! ;-)

So we've come to the end, folks. Hope you've had as much fun reading as I've had writing this. Final constructive comments are appreciated! Now I'll have to start thinking about my next fic...hmmm...


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